A family feared losing their springer spaniel when it became gravely ill after swallowing a stone. 18-month-old Leo was taken to Isle Vet Group in Ely, Cambridgeshire where he underwent an emergency operation.
Mum-of-two Amanda Scott had seen two other family dogs die after eating stones and was worried 18-month-old Leo may suffer the same fate. “Leo is one of three dogs we have,” said Amanda.
“We have an older spaniel called Oscar and a Labrador, Willow. Leo is the one who will eat absolutely anything, leaves, sticks, bedding just whatever he can get in his mouth.
“We have the dogs kennelled outside, with large pebbles outside for drainage. Without us noticing, he dug down and got to smaller stones underneath. We didn’t know he had eaten one.
“He’d been sick the next morning, but he was still eating and drinking a bit over the weekend. By the Sunday night, though, he was just off and not himself, so I knew I needed to get the vet and called first thing the next morning.”
X-rays, scans and examinations revealed that the stone had lodged in the small intestine and without an urgent operation the dog faced being put down.
“Other than the obstruction, Leo was a very healthy young dog, so we wanted to give him every chance,” said vet Alastair Barnes. “Time was of the essence, so we operated straight away and did what’s called laparotomy where we were able to remove the stone.”
Even with the operation underway, Amanda knew Leo was not out of the woods. She dreaded the impact Leo's death would have on her three-year-old son Sebastian.
“We had lost our first spaniel to a bleed on the brain after an operation for the same thing 10 years ago,” said Amanda. “And my brother had a dog from the same litter that also swallowed a stone and died.
"So, it was such a relief when we got the call to say it had all gone well. Sebastian came with me to pick him up and I wasn’t allowed to touch Leo, he insisted on walking him out. He was so proud and happy.
“It meant everything, and I can’t thank the vets enough for all they did. Now we’re watching Leo every moment to see he doesn’t eat anything else.”
Leo is home and well thanks to the veterinary surgeons at the practice, part of My Family Vets, a nationwide network of vet clinics throughout the UK.
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