Zakk's story

Zakk, a Collie-Alsatian cross, ended up with severe wounds to his legs and paws after being spooked by fireworks and escaping from his owner's garden.

Zakk had been let out into the garden by his owner, Kirsty, when a neighbour released fireworks. The noise immediately panicked Zakk, who bolted from the garden.

Kirsty said: "It was quiet when I let Zakk out, then the fireworks suddenly started. Zakk just fled, he jumped straight over the gate and ran off.

"We spent the next few hours searching for him, with no luck. We were so worried."

Eventually, one of Kirsty's neighbour found Zakk, covered in blood, in their back garden. He somehow cut his paws as he ran away.

Zakk was taken to our Stoke Pet Hospital where vets assessed the wounds on his front legs and paws.

Duncan Senior, PDSA Senior Vet, said: "We can't say for sure what happened to Zakk that night, but he sustained some quite nasty injuries."

Our vets cleaned and dressed the wounds and prescribed antibiotics to treat the infection.

Duncan said: "It took around a month for Zakk's wounds to heal sufficiently. He is incredibly lucky that he didn't sustain more serious injuries."

Thanks to PDSA, Zakk made a full recovery. 

Thanks to funding support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, PDSA has produced a fireworks advice guide for pet owners. You can read our advice on our Pet Health pages.