Freak injury left Chihuahua at death’s door

22 December 2016

A Chihuahua needed life-saving surgery after his windpipe was torn in a freak accident. PDSA vets came to the rescue following the near-fatal incident, meaning tiny Prince will be back at home with his family this Christmas.

Two-year-old Prince’s owner, Sarah Terry (25), was walking Prince and her mum’s dog when the incident occurred: “The dogs were playing happily as usual, bounding around and enjoying themselves,” she said. “When they came back, Prince seemed a bit subdued, but I didn’t think much on it. That evening, he suddenly started coughing up blood – it was awful. We didn’t know what was wrong so we took him straight to PDSA.”

Tests at Bradford PDSA Pet Hospital revealed just how serious his injury was. PDSA Head Nurse Miriam Wilson said: “Prince’s neck had swelled dramatically and we suspected that he had torn his windpipe. Air was leaking into his body and, without intervention, he would die. He underwent major surgery to repair the tears and give him a chance of survival.

“The surgery was successful but small amounts of air had leaked into his neck and body, inflating him like a balloon. He needed intensive care throughout his recovery and it was touch-and-go as to whether he would survive.”

Prince stayed at PDSA for five days before he was out of danger and well enough to go home. Sarah continued: “We were over the moon to have Prince home with us again, but he was still quite poorly and needed daily medication. After a week his stitches were removed and now he’s back to normal, and will be enjoying the festive season at home. You wouldn’t know anything had happened to him now – PDSA have been amazing. I’m so grateful to them for saving Prince’s life.”

Now Sarah wants to share Prince’s story to help support PDSA’s ‘Save a Star’ campaign, which is raising funds to support the vital care that the charity provides throughout the festive period. She added: “Pets are a really important part of people’s lives – I couldn’t imagine my family without Prince and I want to help PDSA save more lives like his.”

Christmas is a critical time of year for PDSA. While most pets will be enjoying this time at home with their families, some others are not so lucky. This December, the charity’s dedicated vets and nurses will treat more than 50,000 sick and injured pets. With generous public support, they help people across the UK, who fear losing their best friend, by providing life-saving care.