A cheeky Yorkshire Terrier cross Jack Russell puppy is a ‘stone’ lighter after our expert team performed emergency surgery to remove a foreign object which could have killed her.
Ten-month-old Lucie’s life hung in the balance after she swallowed a stone which got stuck in her abdominal cavity before the operation successfully removed the life-threatening object.
Lucie’s worried owner Jo Rivers from Swadlincote, in Derbyshire, said: “Initially, we didn’t know what was wrong with Lucie, but she started vomiting and had bloody diarrhoea, so we were obviously very worried.
“We were shocked when an x-ray showed the stone, and we then became even more concerned as we realised it could kill her.”
Marcin Rogalski, a Veterinary Surgeon here at West Midlands Veterinary Referrals, performed the tricky surgery to remove Lucie’s unwanted stone to save her life.
Marcin said: “A radiograph showed a round, opaque object within Lucie’s abdominal cavity blocking the intestinal lumen, which was, in fact, a sharp-edged stone.
“A structured abdominal exploration enabled Lucie’s organs to be assessed, and the decision was made to surgically remove the stone while minimising the risk of complications. Given Lucie’s young age, early nutritional support was provided to aid with intestinal wall healing and support her recovery.”
Lucie’s owner, Jo, added: “Lucie is now back to her normal, cheeky self. The team at West Midlands Veterinary Referrals were brilliant from start to finish, and my thanks go to them for saving Lucie’s life.”
