A PET owner has praised a Leicestershire veterinary practice for saving their dog’s life after he swallowed a bristle from a wire brush and developed peritonitis.
Hendrix, a two-year-old Tibetan Terrier, was taken to Ash Tree Vets in Kibworth, which is part of the VetPartners group of veterinary practices, by owner Verity Glenister when her beloved pet started vomiting.
He was initially given anti-sickness medicine, but when his condition didn’t improve, X-rays and an ultrasound scan were performed to find out if he’d swallowed something harmful. Both the veterinary team and Verity were shocked to discover that Hendrix had swallowed a small but sharp piece of wire from a patio cleaning brush and needed surgery to remove it.
Thanks to the care and expertise of the team at Ash Tree Vets, Hendrix has made a full recovery, and now the practice has joined forces with Verity to urge pet owners to be vigilant if they use wire brushes in their home.
Vet Nicky Mansell, who performed Hendrix’s surgery, said it’s one of the most unusual things she’s ever removed from a dog’s stomach.
Nicky said: “When I first saw Hendrix, I discussed the potential causes for sickness in dogs with his owner. They hadn’t seen him eat anything unusual or potentially poisonous and, because he’s had food allergies in the past, we treated him first with anti-sickness medication. This only had a temporary effect, so we saw Hendrix again and carried out tests to find out what was going on inside his body.
“I took an X-ray and could see a very small white line in the stomach area, which suggested foreign material in the stomach wall. We then performed an ultrasound scan to confirm this. We couldn’t tell what it was, but we knew we needed to perform surgery to remove it.
“Everyone was extremely surprised when I pulled out the piece of wire. Although it was very small, I found it easily, as it had perforated Hendrix’s stomach wall and caused peritonitis, which is inflammation of the lining of the abdomen. This can be life-threatening and if the wire hadn’t been removed, it would have become very painful and made Hendrix very ill.
“He’s very lucky that his owners brought him to us when they suspected something was wrong, and we’re delighted that he’s back to his normal self. He recovered quickly after the surgery and was able to go home the same day.
“Hendrix isn’t a scavenger and he doesn’t eat unusual things, so it seems he accidentally licked the wire bristle from the floor or a plant. It’s a warning to be extra vigilant if you use brushes like these, and to keep them away from pets.”
Hendrix is now back home with Verity and her partner Matt in Fleckney, near Leicester. Verity said she had initially been unsure where the wire had come from, then remembered using a weeding brush on the patio just before Hendrix became ill.
Verity said: “I am so gratetul to the team at Ash Tree Vets for saving Hendrix’s life. Everyone at the vets was amazing, and I could tell they really cared about him.
“When we realised the bristle was from a weeding brush, Matt went over the patio with a magnet and picked up lots of identical pieces of wire. We had no idea the brush was shedding bristles and I’ve now put it in the bin. We’ve also got a barbecue brush that has wire bristles and I’ve put that out of the way as well, just in case.
“It was a really scary experience and I’m so glad we took Hendrix to the vets to get him checked out. I would urge other pet owners to be extra careful if they use wire brushes, and to always keep them away from their animals as I would hate this to happen to anyone else.”
Ash Tree Vets prides itself on delivering the highest standards of care to pets and an excellent service to clients. It has practices in Market Harborough and Kibworth in Leicestershire and Desborough in Northamptonshire.