Warning: This video contains graphic imargery.
A veterinary surgeon in Auckland was "definitely surprised" to discover one of her patients had somehow swallowed a whole leash, which had to be removed in a "very tricky" surgery.
Video of the complicated operation on Monday shows Onewa Rd Vet Hospital veterinarian Celine Lye carefully remove the lead.
Smirny is a Samoyed dog, a breed "notorious" for eating foreign objects, Lye told Newshub.
But thankfully, when Smirny's owners noticed something wrong with him, they took him to the vet immediately.
"If [his owners] had waited a few more days, his intestines may have started dying, getting a perforation or getting infected which would have disastrous consequences that can be fatal," Lye said.
"Smirny is doing great at the moment according to his owners, he is eating well, bright, happy and having his pain well controlled post-surgery."
However, Lye said he is still not out of "the danger period yet", explaining how the three to five days post-surgery are the highest risk period for the intestinal sutures failing and infection happening.
"But we are doing very well so far."
While cats may have nine lives, Smirny and his family will be very thankful to the vet for saving him.
"This surgery was very tricky because the lead foreign body is what we call a linear foreign body, which is a lot more dangerous and complicated than simple singular item foreign bodies," Lye said.
"This is worse than a normal foreign body because a linear foreign body gets stuck at some point, but the free end of the cord/string continues to try to move or trail down the gastrointestinal tract, causing the intestines to get bunched around the foreign body like an accordion, so this increases the risk of the intestines tearing or getting damaged.
"So, there is a higher risk of infection within the abdomen if the intestines perforate and leak digestive material into the abdomen, as well as increased risk of internal intestinal damage as well."
Lye said surgeons also had another challenge when treating Smirny.
"The surgery becomes more complicated as well, as in Smirny's case because instead of having to make one cut to remove a single foreign body, if we tried to do that with a linear foreign body, we can accidentally tear the intestine while pulling out the material."
They had to make two intestinal cuts to remove two far sections of the lead - doing so by cutting the lead whenever there was any resistance when gently pulling it out.
"Thankfully the front section of the lead ended up sucking back into the stomach after the second cut, so I only needed to make one more cut after that in the stomach to remove the rest of the lead. I was quite happy with how things turned out," Lye said.
"The first intestinal cut I sutured was a bit worrying because the tissue was very inflamed and friable, but it turned out well and all of his intestines were not compromised at that stage."
Reflecting on the ordeal, Lye said she was "definitely surprised" it was a whole lead.
"It's not as common of an item for dogs to swallow, I originally thought it was a skipping rope when I was feeling it and had not cut into it yet.
"The most common things we see are bones, socks, corn on the cob, toys, underwear, rocks, tennis balls, parts of shoes, thread and yarn and hair ties for cats. Other weird and wonderful things include fishhooks, jewellery, sewing needles and more."
But now Lye is using this case to warn other pet owners to be vigilant if they notice something wrong with their furry friend.
"The signs to watch out for are general lethargy, reduced or no appetite, vomiting, unable to defecate and pain in the abdomen," she advised.
In the first instance, though, Lye said it's important to "pet proof your home as if you were child proofing for a toddler that can jump or fly two metres and have sharp teeth".
Lye's tips for pet proofing:
- Keep wiring covered, as well as anything else that a pet can chew and swallow, with child locks
- Be mindful that simply keeping things in high places won't work for cats
- Cleaning out loose items from under the couches or behind cabinets
- Keeping dogs on lead when walking in bush or parks, and only off lead if you can closely supervise them
- Training good recall and 'drop it' commands for dogs "is a lifesaver"
"However, we do get animals where their owners do their very best and still things slip through the cracks," Lye said.
"People should know not to be too hard on themselves if accidents happen. But definitely have a contingency plan in place in the form of emergency funds or pet insurance if owners need to go to the afterhours vet clinic or their family vet as foreign body removal procedures can be very expensive."
