Magic is a 13-year-old Westie who was brought into our surgery gagging/choking during the early hours one morning. He had been eating a rawhide chew that had become lodged in his throat making it difficult to swallow or be sick. It was also pressing on his windpipe (trachea) making breathing harder too.

Magic was given a general anaesthetic and we removed a 4cm long piece of rawhide, which, being soggy, had folded in half widthways.

An x-ray was taken of his throat after the chew was removed to make sure nothing else remained in his throat.  The trachea/wind pipe can be seen on the radiograph as a black tube running from the jaw into the chest/thorax.  Just between this and the 2nd and 3rd vertebrae/bones of the neck there is a small thin black area of air which is where the rawhide chew had been!  If you are able to visit the surgery, this is shown more clearly using a piece of paper on the x-ray!!

Fortunately Magic has made a full recovery but is steering clear of all rawhide chews from now on!

January 2008 - Tia-Betsy

February 2008 - Spike

March 2008 - Miss Daisy

April 2008 -  Daisy

May 2008 - Rosie

June 2008 -  Lala

August 2008 - Roly

September 2008 - Fred

December 2008 - Shadow

For the Pet Heroes of 2007 click here