An Oxfordshire family watched in horror as their pet dog was almost blinded when a stick plunged into his eye during a game of ‘fetch’ in the garden.
The energetic seven-year-old black labrador, called Toby, was seriously injured after he enthusiastically chased after a ball which had bounced into a bush.
Abingdon’s Leila Rawes Barton and her two sons were stunned to see Toby re-emerge with a three-inch stick penetrating his right eye and instantly feared he would be left blind.
Leila said it was a traumatic incident the family will “never forget” and praised Linnaeus-owned practices Boundary Vets, in Abingdon, and Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, in Solihull, West Midlands, for helping save Toby’s eye.
She said: “We were playing ball in the garden when it bounced into a bush with Toby enthusiastically chasing to fetch it.
“Immediately, we could see he was hurt as he was turning in circles, whimpering and looking distressed. Moments later, we could see what the problem was and it was clear this was an emergency.
“There was a stick protruding from his right eye and his eye was not visible at all. It was like a scene from a horror movie and is a sight we, as a family, will never forget.
“I was in an absolute state. We honestly thought Toby was going to lose his eye and I was preparing for the worst.
“My six-year-old son Jack dashed to get his father while my youngest Theo, who’s only three, went to get my mobile phone.
“I stayed with Toby comforting him and then called Boundary Vets. I am not sure they quite believed my slightly unusual and panicked description of ‘he has a stick sticking out of his eye!’ .
“I think they were certainly expecting something more like a little bit of twig rather than an actual stick protruding out.”
The expert team at Boundary Vets wasted no time dealing with the emergency case and launched straight into action as soon as Toby arrived.
Leila explained: “Boundary’s care was amazing for both of us! They metaphorically scooped us up in the immediate aftermath of the accident and I knew Toby was in the best possible hands.
“The vets immediately realised my phone description was quite accurate and whisked Toby away to administer pain relief and assess the damage.
“The administration and veterinary team also did a great job treating me for shock and reassuring me. They kept me up to speed on how he was doing, what they thought would be the best course of action and what our options were.
“As we were insured we had the option of seeking specialist care and the team was quick to arrange a referral to Willows.
“The Boundary team still took an interest in Toby even after he’d been referred to Willows and during his follow-up care when he was back home.
“Their care really was second-to-none and I would absolutely recommend them to other pet owners.”
Willows’ Erika Villedieu, European Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, and Ophthalmology Resident Marisa Perez Orrico were faced with the challenge of removing the stick and Marisa admitted it was a daunting prospect.
She said: “The nature of Toby’s eye injury was quite shocking, even for a vet, and we elected to stabilise him ahead of performing surgery to remove the stick the following day.
“He was treated to make him comfortable overnight. We anticipated it would be a challenging procedure to remove the stick from Toby’s eye but in the morning we discovered it would not be necessary.
“Fortunately, most of the stick had fallen out on its own overnight. Removing the remaining splinters afterwards was a much simpler procedure for myself and Erika, and Toby responded well.
“Further examination of the right eye only revealed mild bruising in the conjunctival tract and mild dorsal corneal fibrosis.
“A couple of days after going home he had a reaction to the injury and suffered severe blepharospasm in the right eye, swelling, ocular discharge and a reaction in the conjunctiva, where the stick had penetrated.
“More eye drops were administered at Boundary Vets and Toby’s eye healed very nicely, and he was back to his usual self after a few days.”
Leila confirmed: “Toby is fully back to his usual bouncy, energetic ball crazy self!
“He has not learned anything from his near miss but we certainly have and balls are no longer allowed in the garden. Instead, we head to wide open spaces with his ball where he can safely play.”
