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Emergency vets and vet nurses in our Middlesbrough clinic save lurcher Lady's life
A lucky dog called Lady is back to her normal self after being just millimetres from death when she got caught on barbed wire.
Lady, a six-year-old lurcher, was out for a walk with owner Wayne Magor when she spotted a deer running across a field and decided to chase after her.
The deer easily vaulted over a fence – and playful Lady decided to follow suit. But, unfortunately, Lady didn’t jump quite high enough and clipped the barbed wire running along the top.
The wire ripped a gaping wound in Lady’s chest – stretching 20 centimetres long and 10 centimetres wide. If the wire had caught Lady further up, it could have severed a major artery.
Incredibly, not only did the wire miss Lady’s vital artery but she carried on running afterwards as though nothing had happened.
Joiner Wayne, 29, said: “Lady really has had a miracle escape. She’s a very brave dog. After the deer went over the fence, Lady followed her and disappeared for about 20 minutes.
“It was only after she came back that we realised something was wrong. She was running around as though nothing was wrong. Then my girlfriend started screaming when she saw all the blood and the wound. It took a while to work out what happened – but then it dawned on us.
“She’d managed to clear the fence but the wire had skimmed off a layer of the skin on her tummy as she went across. She seemed ok in herself but the wound was in a pretty bad way.”
Wayne, from Loftus, North Yorkshire, rushed Lady to Vets Now’s pet emergency clinic in Middlesbrough. Staff worked quickly to clean up the wound and performed surgery to sew Lady’s chest back together.
Three weeks later, Lady, who has previously won prizes at dog shows, has made a full recovery and is back to her normal boisterous self. Veterinary nurse Zoe Campbell, who was on duty in our Middlesbrough clinic when Lady was rushed in, said: “Lady was a lovely dog who was very calm and laid back despite her injuries.
“We gave her a thorough examination and her jugular veins were pulsing away with no harm done, her windpipe was intact, and the two main arteries which carry blood to the head and neck hadn’t been touched.
“We were all pretty impressed with the lack of serious damage. We took her to surgery and our vet surgeon, Ed Stacey, did a fantastic job of stitching her back together. I’m delighted to hear she’s now back to full health.”
Lady’s owner Wayne added: “I can’t believe how lucky Lady has been. If the wire had caught her just a tiny bit higher up I think we’d have lost her. I’m just very pleased to have her home and in one piece.”
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The Vets Now clinic in Middlesbrough – where Lady received treatment – was recently rated as “outstanding” in the delivery of emergency and critical care by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
It’s one of 58 Vets Now clinics and pet emergency hospitals across the UK that are open through the night, seven-days-a-week, and day and night on weekends and bank holidays, to treat any pet emergencies that may occur.
All of Vets Now’s premises have a vet and vet nurse on site at all times.