A stitch in time saves Rottweiler Broxi

Dog’s life hanging by a thread after swallowing needle and cotton

Vet charity PDSA has saved the life of a dog who swallowed a needle and thread.

Boisterous Broxi, the one-and-a-half year old Rottweiler, from Paisley, Renfrewshire, left her owners mystified after they discovered a sewing bobbin in her bed. A couple of days later Broxi started coughing and went off her food, so owner Kirsty Ferri took her to Glasgow Shamrock Street PDSA.

Vets at the Glasgow PDSA pet hospital x-rayed Broxi and were amazed when they discovered a needle close to her spine.

PDSA vet, Hannah McIvor, said: “When we took an x-ray we could see there was a needle which had gone through her throat and travelled down to her spine. If it had reached her spinal cord it could have caused meningitis or left her paralysed.

“When we looked closer at the x-ray and examined the back of Broxi’s throat we could see there was still a bit of thread attached. This was incredibly lucky as it meant we were able to carefully pull the thread from her mouth and remove the needle without having to operate.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before. It just goes to show how important it is to be vigilant and keep harmful objects out of pets’ reach.”

Miss Ferri, Broxi’s owner, said: “I first noticed a bobbin in her bed and then realised there was only one needle in my sewing kit which I keep under the coffee table in the lounge. Broxi eats anything but I never imagined something like this would happen.

“Broxi is back to her normal, fantastic, healthy self now and I’m so grateful and relieved for PDSA as there’s no way I would have been able to afford the treatment myself. I would have had to have Broxi put down which would have been devastating.”

Thanks to the support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, PDSA educates thousands of owners about pet safety as part of their vet consultations.