A Labrador who had her throat speared by a stick endured a dramatic four-month battle for survival. After the “traumatic encounter,” grateful owner Amanda Coleman feared the worse for three-year-old Poppy.
Despite multiple trips to the neighborhood vet, four inches of the stick remained hidden inside the dog’s swollen neck for more than six weeks. When Poppy started coughing and gagging after a nighttime walk, the miserable pup was then referred to a small animal expert.
The dog underwent surgery at the Willows Veterinary Centre in Solihull, close to Birmingham, to remove the foreign object. She eventually developed withdrawal symptoms, became lethargic, and lost interest in food and walks, leading doctors to suspect a disease affecting her salivary glands.
“We first realized anything was awry when Poppy started coughing and gagging on her nighttime walk,” Measham resident Amanda recalled of the harrowing event. She was gasping and bleeding from the back of her mouth as if something were caught in her throat.
“We took Poppy to our neighborhood emergency vets, who stabilized her and stopped the bleeding, but X-rays alone were unable to reveal that a portion of the stick was lodged in Poppy’s neck.
Poppy returned home from the emergency vet four days later on a course of steroids with a nasogastric feeding tube, but when the steroid dose was gradually reduced, she got worse and our physician recommended Willows.
Erika Villedieu, an expert in small animals, found the stick during a CT scan and performed surgery right away. Poppy got her first CT scan there, and more than six weeks after the tragedy, Erika discovered a four-inch piece of a stick still lodged in her neck.
“I was extremely glad that something had been discovered so that Poppy could have the operation right immediately, even though at first we were shocked that Poppy had been moving around with this rod still inside without anyone noticing.
The issue, according to Erika, was complicated by the need to also remove Poppy’s salivary glands because they had been harmed by the stick. Amanda “After surgery, Poppy was given a lengthy course of antibiotics; however, despite the fact that the swelling in her neck had subsided, Poppy still struggled with heavy drooling, difficulty swallowing, and discomfort.
A month later, Poppy was still not improving, so her family and caregivers had a painful conversation with Erika because they believed that Poppy was steadily starving herself and that her quality of life was being severely harmed.
To gain more insight into the dog’s condition, a second CT scan was performed. Given that the wooden stick had been taken out and the swelling had subsided, Erika said: “Poppy’s situation was uncommon, therefore we performed a second CT scan to better understand Poppy’s condition.
Since all of Poppy’s salivary glands appeared slightly larger than normal, sialadenosis (swelling of the salivary glands) was assumed to be the cause, and Poppy was prescribed the anti-epileptic drug phenobarbitone, it was confirmed that the abscess had healed and that the wooden stick had been completely removed.
Happily, Poppy’s symptoms disappeared entirely two days after she started the medication, and she is now back to being her usual, vivacious self and enjoying her walks.
Owner Amanda thanked veterinarian Erika for performing “a miracle” on the family’s cherished pet and described the relief as incredible. Poppy was never left alone — she even came to work with me — and we made multiple trips to our neighborhood vet clinic in between trips to Willows, she said.
It was a long road to recovery for Poppy, and it would never have been possible if it weren’t for Erika and the team at Willows. We can’t express our gratitude to them all enough for what they accomplished. “We honestly believed we would lose Poppy after everything she had gone through.
We used to refer to Poppy as being hyperactive before the accident, so when I picked her up from Willows following the second CT scan and seen her jumping and dragging Erika across the waiting area to get to me, I knew we had our crazy girl back!
“I was grinning nonstop and couldn’t thank Erika enough. She was incredible and saved Poppy’s life in a way that could only be described as a miracle.
