A YOUNG puppy was left choking and fighting to survive after swallowing a stone that blocked her airwaves.
Jetta, a three-month-old German Shepherd, was rushed to Avonvale Veterinary Centres where rapid action and emergency care saved her life.
The death-defying drama happened at the firm’s Stratford surgery where vets Sarah Ives, Ruth O’Flaherty and nurse Sarah Coton were quick to identify the problem.
Sarah said: “Jetta arrived in a collapsed state and was gasping for breath. We straight away provided oxygen therapy and tried to ascertain what was causing the obstruction.
“As we couldn’t see anything obvious, we decided to intubate (insert a tube into her windpipe to provide air) and examine her under general anaesthetic. Jetta’s colour immediately improved and she was stable enough for us to take an x-ray.
“We very quickly found the problem. There was a stone wedged in her bronchi – airways to the lungs – but fortunately it had only blocked one side of her airways, so she was still able to pass some air.
“It remained a serious situation, though, so we called our clinical director Simon Davies, who came over from our Warwick animal hospital to help.
“He arrived with a videoscope which he passed down Jetta’s throat to locate the stone and carefully retrieve it.
“It was quite a difficult procedure, as the stone was very smooth and kept sliding away from the instrument he was using to try and secure it.
“We all let out a cheer and breathed a sigh of relief when he did manage to grasp the stone and carefully pull it up and out of Jetta’s airway.
“Jetta improved quickly. She was put on a course on antibiotics and was allowed back home to her grateful family that evening.
“She’s one very lucky girl as it was the team’s quick thinking and actions which very much saved Jetta’s life.”
