Leading vet charity PDSA is urging pet owners to make sure decorations are well out of paw’s reach this Christmas, after a dog ate an entire metre of tinsel.
Eight-year-old crossbreed, Shylah, had to have emergency surgery to remove the length of tinsel, which she ate when she became scared of fireworks going off nearby.
Her owner, who prefers to remain anonymous, recalled: “It was last Christmas Eve and I was going about my day as normal when some fireworks went off nearby. Shylah became very nervous and on edge, I comforted her a little and tried to keep her calm. I popped upstairs but when I came down just minutes later I noticed some tinsel was missing from the mantelpiece.
“I wondered if Shylah might’ve eaten it, but it wasn’t until a bit later when she went off her food and was sick that I got really worried. I immediately called Wolverhampton PDSA Pet Hospital and they told me to bring her straight down.”
PDSA provides free and low-cost vet care to people struggling with vet fees, and is appealing for donations to help save lives and keep people and pets together this festive season. “The emergencies don’t stop coming just because it’s Christmas,” said Jane Cutler, Senior Vet at Wolverhampton PDSA. “As we saw with Shylah, pets can get into all sorts of scrapes and mishaps, and you never know when they might need urgent help. Many of our teams work throughout the Christmas period to ensure we can always offer help to those that need it.”
PDSA expects to see around 23,000 pets over the Christmas period, with many needing urgent or emergency care. They’re appealing for support to help keep their doors open, as they rely on public donations to run their vital services. Visit www.pdsa.org.uk/saveastar to see how you can help.
Once at PDSA, vets examined Shylah and were worried she was showing signs of having some kind of obstruction, so she was taken straight in for x-rays.
Jane continued: “The x-ray revealed a large mass in her stomach, which we could only assume was the missing tinsel. She needed emergency surgery right away, as if it made its way into her intestines it could cause potentially fatal damage. The operation went ahead, and we were all pretty shocked when we pulled the entire length of tinsel out of her in one piece!”
Shylah’s owner added: “Shylah is my world and I was worried sick when they said she had to have surgery. But they said the fact I’d acted so fast meant I’d saved things from potentially getting much worse. It was difficult waiting for news from the surgery, but I knew she was in good hands at PDSA.”
Luckily the operation was a success and Shylah was able to go home later that day. Her owner continued: “When I heard Shylah would be home for Christmas it was the most wonderful moment. Within a few days she was getting back to her normal self and has since fully recovered. It’s safe to say that from that moment I keep all decorations well out of Shylah’s reach!”
Last year alone PDSA saw over 430,000 pets – that’s 11 pets every minute. Their veterinary teams save lives, fix broken limbs, treat chronic conditions, and relieve suffering and pain – all of which keep people and pets together. Help save a star like Shylah this Christmas – visit www.pdsa.org.uk/saveastar to support pets in need.
