A dog was rushed to the vets for emergency surgery after swallowing a tennis ball whole while out on a walk. Doberman Hiro was struggling to breathe after the ball became lodged deep in her throat.
The one-year-old family pet was out walking with one of her owners when she swallowed the ball, which belonged to a younger dog. She had to be referred to a specialist vets, who performed the operation to remove the dangerous blockage.
Hiro's relieved owner Elliot Harris said it had been a traumatic time but Hiro quickly bounced back and is now her normal self. The operation was performed by internal medicine specialist Jennifer Raj at Southfields Veterinary Specialists, in Basildon, Essex.
Mr Harris told Essex Live: "My daughter Eva was walking Hiro and she swallowed the ball of a much younger dog. She immediately brought her home and we took her to our local vet where they discovered a ball had become lodged deep in her oesophagus.
“Our vet was great but couldn’t perform the procedure she required, so referred us to Southfields. We were pretty concerned and knew she might not make it, especially as the potential procedure was not easy, but Hiro has recovered fully and is back to health and happy.
“We’re very grateful, as we received top-level care and attention at all stages. Southfields is a fantastic facility with brilliant empathetic staff who gave us a clear understanding of the process throughout.”
Jennifer Raj said: “Hiro was referred as an emergency for management of an oesophageal foreign body. An X-ray confirmed the ball was lodged within the distal oesophagus, so we opted to try to remove it using forceps and endoscopic guidance under anaesthesia.
“It was challenging as the ball was difficult to grip due to its shape and as it was tightly lodged in the oesophagus. Thankfully, it was removed using this minimally invasive procedure.
"Everything went very smoothly, and Hiro made an excellent recovery. She was eating again the following morning, with gusto! It was lovely for all the team to send this sweet girl back to her loving family.”
While it was a happy outcome for Hiro, Jennifer warned owners about the dangers of dogs swallowing balls. She said: “Oesophageal foreign bodies can be a life-threatening condition which requires prompt treatment.
“If they cannot be removed endoscopically, they require thoracotomy, which is a major invasive operation in which the chest is opened, so endoscopic removal really is the best for the patient."
