Hero vets saved the life of a young pup who had a blockage in his intestines caused by eating bones.
Nine-month-old border collie Arlo underwent two-and-a-half hours of emergency surgery.
Vets Gillian Johnston and Claire Meaney were forced to take out 15 centimetres of his small intestines after the bone fragments caused significant damage and a worrying loss of blood supply.
Read More: Ireland AM star Muireann O'Connell hit the treadmill after rude comment from fan
The pair sprung into action after they performed a clinical examination and took X-rays at MyVet practice in Firhouse.
Gillian explained: “We carried out a clinical examination and X-rays of Arlo’s abdomen which revealed lots of small bones causing an obstruction in his small intestine.
“It was a very challenging scenario as there had been significant trauma and loss of blood supply to the area.
“This meant that, rather than just remove the obstructive material, we had to remove 15cm of Arlo’s small intestine.
“To achieve this, we had to perform an exploratory laparotomy to open his abdomen and investigate the area of obstruction.
“We did attempt to make an incision into the small intestines to milk out the obstructing material however the damage was too severe, so the diseased area of gut had to be removed and the areas of healthy gut stitched back together.”
Gillian said the surgery was risky because of a high risk of contamination but said everything ultimately went well.
She added: “Arlo was then hospitalised where our nursing team gave him intravenous fluid therapy, pain relief, and antibiotics.
“He’s since made a wonderful recovery and is back to his happy, bouncy self, although, after his scary ordeal, he no longer gets bones as treats.”
Arlo’s owners, Sarah Ryan and Robert McCarthy, from Knocklyon, South Dublin, admitted they were shocked by their precious pooch’s deteriorating health.
Sarah revealed: “We were very concerned. Your pet is like a child, all you want is for them is to be healthy and happy.
“We’d noticed Arlo had lost some weight and had planned to bring him to the vets for a check-up but the night before he was sick and became acutely unwell, so we knew we had to take him in straightaway.
“We had suspected there was an issue but we didn’t realise how severe it was, so we were a bit shocked and upset with the diagnosis.
“We used to give him dog bones to chew and some small bits of bone had become lodged in his bowel and created a blockage, which just continued to build up over time.”
Robert joked: “He’s fully recovered and back to causing mayhem around the house.”
READ NEXT:
Special rule could see politicians drinking later than punters despite new laws
Gardai braced for revenge attack after Tallaght submachine gun ambush
Bank holiday Sunday and Monday opening hours for Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, and more
Man told gardai at crash scene 'I've killed my best friend - I wish it was me'
All you need to know about Dublin Marathon road closures and alternative routes
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
