Dog cheats death after 11inch kebab skewer became lodged just 1cm from his heart

A dog is lucky to be alive after he scoffed down an entire kebab at a family barbecue – skewer and all.

Vets managed to save Rolo the cockapoo after scans showed the 11-inch wooden skewer was one centimetre away from his heart.

The pooch managed to cheat death despite the wooden spike being lodged beneath his ribs and edging toward his vital organs.

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Vets believe Rolo would have died had they not acted quickly, taking the pup into surgery to remove the object.

Owner Joanne Ogden says she was 'prepared for the worst' but thankfully Rolo pulled through the two-hour surgery.

And she fears the skewer could have been inside Rolo for more than six months without her knowing as the pooch has been prone to vomiting and diarrhoea since the summer.

Joanne said: “It was a shock to see the skewer so close to his heart on the scans.

"I prepared myself for the worst because of where the stick was and how risky surgery was going to be.

"With Rolo being a puppy, he explores everything, so I was always vigilant about picking things off the ground.

“But he definitely sneaked the kebab from somewhere, whether from the table or bin."

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She took him to the vet after he experienced some stomach and digestive problems, but thought his health woes were over when he responded well to treatment.

Adding that X-rays had not picked up the wooden object when she had taken him to the vet worried that Rolo was yelping in pain when she picked him up.

Joanne took him to Clifton Lodge Vets in Hartlepool, County Durham, where clinical director Sarah Crawford found the roughly 30cm (11inch) kebab stick lodged in the dog’s body.

Sarah and her team then carried out a 'complex and dangerous' operation to save his life before it could work its way into his heart.

Rolo began breathing on his own as soon as his chest was sewn up – and he was walking within the hour.

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Sarah said: “We believe the stick had somehow been ingested and pierced his stomach at some point and managed to migrate into his chest.

“The stick was about 1cm away from his heart and the other end was poking out towards the body wall. It was trapped under the ribs.

“If it had worked its way into the heart Rolo would have died quite quickly."

The 18-month-old pup is on the road to recovery and now has new found energy.

Joanne added: "He has made an incredible recovery. He is back to his normal self apart from having a scar down his chest.

"When I walk into the vet's practice now everybody knows him. I can’t thank them enough. The care has been amazing.”

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