A MIRACLE pooch has today had the all clear from vets after cheating death when he swallowed a kebab stick.

East Anglian Daily Times: l-r Pete Everitt, Reggie, Daniela Murgia and Justine Barber. Emergency surgery for Ipswich dog that ate kebab stick!l-r Pete Everitt, Reggie, Daniela Murgia and Justine Barber. Emergency surgery for Ipswich dog that ate kebab stick!

Reggie, a 15-month-old Springer Spaniel from Harkstead, near Ipswich was rushed for major surgery at Animal Health Trust (AHT) near Newmarket after scans revealed the spike had ruptured his stomach wall, perforating his liver and diaphragm and protruding his heart sac.

When owners Pete Everett and Justine Barber discovered their dogs, Reggie and Bella, had stolen some chicken kebabs from the kitchen work top, they became concerned Reggie might have swallowed one of the sticks.

Around 10 days later, Reggie was transferred to the AHT where an ultrasound and MRI scan revealed the kebab stick causing him extreme pain and discomfort.

AN AHT spokeswoman said: “The damage was so severe, inflammation was starting to become visible externally along Reggie’s breast bone.”

Daniela Murgia, who leads the AHT’s soft tissue surgery team, said: “I have never seen a case like this before. The fact that the kebab stick had not just been ingested, but had managed to perforate so many vital organs was astonishing.

“But what was even more surprising was that Reggie had survived for a few days in that intense state of discomfort before he came in as an emergency. I’m just so glad we were able to operate in time.

“It has been a long recovery for Reggie. Due to the extent of the internal damage, his organs have needed a lot of time to heal properly. His owners have had to be really careful in order to make sure that he remained as still as possible for the first few weeks after the surgery, to make sure that he didn’t rupture any stitches, which isn’t easy with a Springer Spaniel.”

Reggie and his owners returned to AHT today for a check-up and ultrasound.

Pleased with the scan results, Ms Murgia was glad to be able to give Reggie the all clear.

Reggie’s owners, Mr Everett and Mrs Barber, said: “We can’t thank Daniela and her team enough for everything they have done for Reggie. He wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for them! We still can’t believe just how much damage the kebab stick was able to cause him in such a short amount of time.

“We’ve got two dogs, and like most dog owners we’re always really careful to keep things that might be harmful well out of their reach. Unfortunately the dogs teamed up to knock the tray of food off the counter. It just goes to show what can happen, and that you need to be extra, extra careful.

“We were extremely worried that he might have ingested one of the sticks and took him to our vets as soon as he started to appear out of sorts. I’m so glad we were referred to the Animal Health Trust and that they were able to save our boy!”