Willows Veterinary Hospital saves life of Rodney the Labrador

The three-year-old black Labrador underwent two bouts of emergency surgery in a matter of weeks after he started retching and being sick.

The second of the surgeries took place at the Willows Veterinary Hospital in Hartford and despite being quite 'traumatised' after his ordeal, Rodney is now back on the road to recovery.

Worried owners Richard and Oriana Kelly took Rodney to the vets after became ill following the move to their new home.

Tests revealed there was a blockage in his intestine and he underwent an urgent operation to remove it.

The couple weren't sure what the foreign object was at first, or where Rodney had got it, but described it as a 'reinforced' piece of red plastic with a mesh lining, similar to a hosepipe.

But while he was recovering, Richard and Oriana were struck by a sense of deja vu just three weeks later when Rodney started vomiting and acting strangely again.

It appeared he had sniffed out the hosepipe again and continued to chomp his way through it.

Rodney was then transferred to the Hartford hospital for his second emergency surgery which was carried out by vet Becca Blagg, Willows surgery lead.

X-ray picture of Rodney showing the piece of hose lodged in his intestine

Richard, aged 36, from Hoole, said: "We'd moved house and the back garden is a bit overgrown.

"We let Rodney out and he'd go off behind the hedges, we didn't know what he was up to.

"He had surgery to remove what looked like reinforced plastic so we suspected it might be a bit of old discarded hose pipe or something.

"We brought him back, he was going through his rehabilitation and three weeks later, after picking up a new puppy, we were doing renovations on the house and all living in one room.

"At this point, we didn't know at the time he'd found the foreign object in the garden, we didn't know where he'd got it from.

"We let both dogs out in the garden and Rodney started rummaging around in the hedges again and the following morning, the same thing happened again, he was being sick, he was retching loads - all the same things he'd been doing three weeks prior.

"So we took him to our local vet and tests revealed that this time there was something in his stomach and his intestines so he needed a slightly more complicated operation. They pulled out what looked like exactly the same thing as he'd eaten the first time.

"We suspect it must be something nice and tasty and that it's hidden behind the bushes somewhere in the garden and he'd gone off and found the same thing twice - so now we've got to get the garden cleared trying to find this thing that he keeps eating.

"We'd like to thank everyone who played a part in looking after him."

Willows Group vet Richard Nolan checks over Rodney the Labrador with owners Richard and Oriana Kelly (Stacey Oliver)

Richard says Rodney is now banned from the garden without a muzzle - at least until the clearing work is done.

The couple, who are expecting their first baby, are so worried that something similar might happen again that they've even started putting the muzzle on Rodney when he's out for walks too.

Richard Nolan, a vet surgeon who saw Rodney at Manor Court Veterinary Surgery in Tarvin, which is run by Willows Veterinary Group, said he had had a 'lucky escape' and urged owners to check their surroundings for anything that could be harmful to their pet.

The vet of 33 years said: "Rodney is a typical Labrador who does suffer with digestive upsets generally, he's got a sensitive gut and the owners are very careful about what he eats and when.

"I've been dealing with his sensitive digestion in the past but things went downhill when they moved house.

"The interesting thing about this particular case is the precautionary tale about moving to a new house.

“They were focusing on getting the house in order while the dog explored the garden so it serves as a warning to others moving house to think about what their dogs might be finding.

"Rodney probably hasn't learnt much from the experience but he's doing OK despite having two quite significant surgeries to take these foreign bodies out.

"If we can avoid surgery and the foreign body can pass naturally, then it's better all around, but to actually physically cut into the bowel, you're running the risk of infection and adhesions... for a dog to have it done twice as in Rodney's case, it's certainly not what the doctor ordered so to speak.

"Lots of Labradors explore the world by eating first and asking questions later, that's what happened here.

"It was a misfortune of his own concoction but he's had a lucky escape and has had excellent care from two different centres and is doing well."

For more information about Willows Veterinary Group, go to www.willowsvetgroup.co.uk or Facebook @WillowsVetGroup