A vet has warned dog owners against playing 'fetch' with sticks with their pets after operating on a Labrador puppy who narrowly cheated death in a nasty accident.
One-year-old Corona, from West Yorkshire, was bounding through the woods with her owners when the freak accident happened last month.
The pup snatched the cigar-shaped stick in her jaws but unbeknown to her owners Pauline and Pete Cook, she wolfed it down.
Her owners became concerned when Corona was sick later that night at home.
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They rushed the pooch to their local vet where a CT scan revealed the stick had punctured her oesophagus.
She was immediately operated on by vet Mickey Tivers who removed the stick by cutting into the dog's chest.
The vet is now urging dog owners not to throw sticks for their pets.
"Corona suffered a very nasty injury from the stick," said Mickey. "It was very serious, as the oesophagus does not always heal well and there was significant risk of infection."
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The vet continued: "Stick injuries are not uncommon and can be very serious indeed. If the stick lands at the right angle, dogs can easily impale themselves and fragments of stick can remain in the neck which can lead to abscesses forming weeks or even months later.
"Our advice would be never to throw sticks for your dog as there is a real risk of injury.
"We would encourage owners to throw balls or other toys, or rubber sticks, which make an excellent alternative to their dangerous wooden counterparts."
Pauline said she heard a "horrific noise" come from Corona but couldn't find anything wrong with her, until she was ill later that night.
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She said: "We saw blood in her vomit, so they took her to Blue Cross in Grimsby where X-rays found evidence of the injury, which required the immediate referral to Paragon.
"Mickey is the most impressive vet I have ever met. He has so much compassion and so much pride in what he does. After we left Corona with him, I just felt so much better."
The dog needed to be kept in the vets for eight days for care.
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"We can't put into words how grateful we are to him for saving Corona's life," said Pauline. "She has recovered so well. She has probably calmed down a little bit after her op, as she was very, very lively before, but she is still running around after balls and stealing socks."
She continued: "We're just overjoyed to have her back. We were heartbroken when we thought we might lose her.
"We will never throw a stick for her again."
Featured Image Credit: SWNS