Shocking image shows injuries caused to dog by 5ft pole in lake
Monty the Lab needs emergency treatment after impaling himself on huge spike
WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES
A vet has revealed how she had to call in firefighters to help save the life of a dog who got impaled on a 5ft-long metal spike.
Monty, a two-year-old Labrador, got pierced by the fence pole in a freak accident while splashing about in a lake on his evening walk.
The pole went in one side of Monty’s body then came out of the other before getting stuck – leaving him in severe pain and unable to move.
Monty’s owner waded into the water at Stewartby Lake near Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire to rescue him.
Then he carried 33kg Monty half a mile to the nearest road before rushing him to the Vets Now pet emergency clinic in Milton Keynes.
Senior vet Iva Nikolova ran out to administer emergency treatment while Monty – still stuck on the spike – lay in the boot of the car.
Iva, 36, said: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing – it was like poor Monty was on a skewer: the pole had completely speared him.
“I’ve been a vet a quite a long time and I’ve seen all sorts of emergencies but never anything like this.”
After fighting to stabilise Monty and ensuring he was as comfortable as possible, Iva and her team carefully lifted him into the clinic.
She said: “When we got Monty into the surgery it was clear it would be far too dangerous to try to pull the whole pole through from one side or the other.
“There was a big risk of puncturing an artery and if that happened there was every chance we wouldn’t be able to stem the bleeding in time.
“I tried to saw off the pole but the metal was solid. I couldn’t even make a dent in it. That’s when we realised we needed the fire brigade.
“We rang and five minutes later they arrived with their lights flashing and the siren going. They ran into the clinic carrying the specialist electric cutting gear they use to rescue people from cars.
“They were so calm and professional – I showed them where to cut and they just got stuck in. It took them a matter of seconds really. I was so impressed – and very grateful indeed.”
Once the firefighters had done their stuff, Iva was able to focus on delicately pulling out the remainder of the pole, which was wedged through Monty’s leg.
It was a very complicated procedure because it was just millimetres from his vital organs.
After that, she set about flushing and cleaning Monty’s wounds.
Monty stayed in hospital under close observation for 36 hours before he was well enough to go home. Amazingly, he’s since made a full recovery thanks to canine physiotherapy.
Owner Paul, who lives in Marston Moretaine, and asked not to have his surname revealed, said: “It was quite a struggle to get him to the car. I thought my arms were going to give way.
“What didn’t make it any easier was the fact I had my other dog Murphy, who is a Labrador pup, jumping up at me and barking as he was clearly aware something was wrong with Monty.
“The lake I believe is an old quarry. The metal fence pole looks like it’s been wedged in the lake bed – unfortunately, spike end upwards.
“Monty has somehow run on it and the pole has then speared him through the underside of his belly and hind leg and it’s come out by his backside.”
Poor pup
Poor Monty got pierced by a fence pole in a freak accident while splashing about in a lake.
Poor pup
The pole went in one side of Monty’s body then came out of the other before getting stuck.
A rare case
Senior vet Iva Nikolova said she’d never seen anything like this before.
Working together
Monty needed emergency surgery and the fire brigade were called to help cut the solid metal pole.
Back to full health
Amazingly, Monty survived his ordeal and is now back to his normal self.
Paul added: “He’s a very fortunate dog – if he was a cat he’d definitely have used up one of his nine lives.
“He’s totally back to normal now, he’s playing in the water again at the lake, stealing socks and hanging around the fridge door whenever it opens.
“The fire service were great and I’m really thankful to them and to Iva and everyone at Vets Now for everything they did.
“We could have lost Monty that day in this freak accident, the family would have been devastated. He was a very lucky boy.”
The Vets Now clinic in Milton Keynes – where Monty 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 more than 60 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.
Shocking image shows injuries caused to dog by 5ft pole in lake
Monty, a two-year-old Labrador, got pierced by a metal fence pole in a freak accident while splashing about in a lake on his evening walk.
