Charlie’s ‘mum’ had just finished sewing on a button when Charlie picked up the needle and thread she had been using and ran off with it. Horrified and worried, she followed him and when she finally caught up with him there was no sign of the needle! Having searched the area and found nothing, she came to the conclusion that Charlie must have swallowed the needle, and brought him in to 387 Vets to have him checked. . . .
It’s not uncommon for owners to worry their animals have swallowed things that they haven’t, and it was with some doubt that we took a digital x-ray to check Charlie’s insides. We were all amazed to see the needle extremely clearly, sitting in Charlie’s stomach! It was much too dangerous to leave in situ and see if it would pass through his guts of its own accord, so we all agreed that removing the needle would be best for Charlie’s health.
In surgery, it took a little while to locate the needle in amongst Charlie’s stomach contents, and to manipulate it into a position to safely remove it. Once located, however, it was possible to push the needle through the stomach lining without having to make a surgical hole. The needle was still threaded and the cotton had bunched up a little which offered some resistance, but there was only a small exit wound left to flush and repair once the foreign body had been removed.
Charlie is doing really well post-op. However, that needle could have stitched up his chances of living all his 9 lives to the full!
