A VETERINARY team has been praised after saving the life of an 14-week-old puppy who grabbed an earring from his owner’s ear before swallowing it.
Otis was rushed to Clyde Vets in Lanark after gulping down the hoop earring while his owner, Jordan Orr, was wearing it.
The cheeky Staffordshire Bull Terrier had bitten off more than he could chew and ended up in the emergency room at the practice in Hyndford Road, New Lanark Market.
Vet Nikki Hamilton decided the first course of action was to induce vomiting to see if Otis would bring up the earring.
But when this failed to work, X-rays were recommended to establish exactly where the earring was and whether it had moved beyond his stomach.
Worryingly, the X-rays showed the earring inside Otis’s stomach with its sharp clasp open, raising concerns that it could cause injury if it remained there.
The next step for Nikki was to use an endoscope fitted with a grabbing device to try to remove the earring, with Otis under general anaesthetic. With great hand-eye coordination, the veterinary team carefully manoeuvred the device and successfully retrieved the earring.
A freak accident
Nikki said: “We were so relieved and a cheer went up in the operating theatre. Thankfully, Otis is absolutely fine, and it was a freak accident how he managed to grab the earring and swallow it.
“The owners did the best thing by rushing him to us straightaway, so we were able to ensure it didn’t pass through his stomach and cause an obstruction or injury. Thankfully, we were able to remove it without the need for more invasive surgery, and Otis made a fantastic recovery.”
Over the past four years of working at Clyde Vets – part of VetPartners, a group of veterinary practices and animal healthcare businesses led by vets – Nikki and her colleagues have removed all sorts of foreign objects from pets who have eaten something they shouldn’t.
The list includes underwear, an open safety pin, stones, balls, bottle caps and even a rubber duck, but this was the first time she had encountered a dog swallowing an earring.
Otis’s owner Jordan Orr, who lives in Lanark, had only collected her much-loved puppy three days earlier when the freak accident occurred.
She had been waving off her partner at the window with Otis when the puppy, who is still nibbling everyone, made a playful lunge at her earring.
‘I can’t thank Clyde Vets enough’
Jordan praised the veterinary team after admitting the incident had caused a real panic.
Jordan said: “I can’t thank them enough as I was really shocked and crying when we arrived at the practice. Within seconds of arriving, we were taken straight through for a check-up and told what the next steps would be.
“The team was so kind and caring to me and Otis as I think they could tell I was flustered by what had happened. They were very calm and reassuring and I don’t think he even realised what was happening.
“He didn’t want to leave the practice as he was enjoying being centre of attention. Within a very short time, he was back to his playful self.”
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