Monday, July 5, 2010

Moral of the story: Don't always listen to your veterinarian. Your dog's life depends on YOU!

Mimi's note: First of all, I wouldn't be so 'dim' allowing my pet to suffer for a month intermittently screaming in pain. I would automatically assume that the skewer WOULD NOT pass through its system on its own. I don't think I would have bought the 'cold' theory of my vet, either. Right now I am feeling sorry for this pooch who appears to have a family that is 'an accident waiting to happen'. The dog's owner said that Jax is a survivor. Guess he has to be with owners and a vet like his


PetsPeople.com Late last November, Kevin O'Hern was cooking a few teriyaki-flavored shish kebabs for his family when his dog, Jax, got a hold of one and swallowed the whole thing — including the 6-in. wooden skewer.

Various members of the Minnesota household rushed to pull whatever they could out of the 1-year-old Siberian Husky's mouth, but by then, the kebab has made its way down Jax's throat. O'Hern assumed that the skewer stick would pass through Jax's system and be excreted, just as bones had in the past.

A few hours later, Jax began to yelp, but the cries soon subsided. Then, a few days later, the dog began to scream in pain. When O'Hern took Jax to the vet, X-rays didn't capture a stick in Jax's body, and the vet told the family that the pooch was likely dehydrated and had a cold. Days passed, and Jax continued to make pained cries.

"It was the most awful noise ever," says O'Hern's wife Diane. "He would scream like a person. He would be fine and just doing his thing, and then all of a sudden, he would turn the wrong way, it would poke him just the right way, and he would cry and cry."

Three vet visits and three X-rays still yielded no clues, and doctors finally suggested exploratory surgery on Jax's stomach. A month after he had swallowed his shish kebab, Jax went in for his procedure, and the doctor found that the shish kebab skewer had pierced straight through the dog's large intestine. "They were so surprised that not only did the skewer go through his large intestine, but fluid didn't seep out of it," Diane says. The hospital staff were amazed that Jax went for so long in relatively good condition, but it seems as though Jax isn't just any dog.

"They say they cannot believe it — he was eating two hours after his surgery," Diane says. "They don't know our Jax!"

The now 2-year-old pooch, who is just as cute and energetic as ever, has since been sprayed by a skunk and bitten by ticks and gotten Lyme disease, but he's a "survivor," according to Diane, who will never put a shish kebab near her beloved Jax again if she can help it.

"I told my husband, 'No shish kebabs or skewers of any nature allowed anywhere around him ever again!"

National Canine Cancer Foundation

25 comments:

Teri and her Stylish Adventure Cats said...

Sheesh! Whenever I read stories like this, I too think that the stories never seem to focus on the stupidity of humans, only that it's a 'miracle' the pet survived.

As I read on about all the maladies this poor dog had to 'survive'...I just kept thinking...an educated pet owner is the best pet owner and I'm not sure if these people qualify...for the cost of multiple xrays they could have done an ultrasound and found the problem early on...

Thanks for sharing this with us though and educating us, too!

Rocky Creek Scotties and Rocky Creek Ramblings said...

What a remarkable story - our Mom has one almost like it about a human!! It seems as if her friend swallowed one of those large cocktail toothpicks (how drunk does one have to be to do this and not know it?) - it took doctors almost 4 months to find the problem - she went through acupuncture and everything! When they finally got it out, it was all still intact - evidently stomach acids don't do a thing for wood. So to this day, every time our Mom orders a sandwich that comes with a toothpick in it, she searches through the whole thing to make sure she has all of the toothpicks out and that no one has dropped on in the sandwich!!

But the lady Mom knew was responsible for herself - these people are responsible for this poor dog - it has sure been through a lot of trauma in it's short live. You wonder why people like that are allowed to have pets.

XOXO
Lilly, Piper, Carrleigh and Ruairi

booahboo said...

*ouch* that looks very painful. How can the skewer pass through the system.. gosh! Poor dog got to suffer for so long.. and boo to the vets. Lousy vets.

Maggie Mae and Max said...

I am happy that he is OK now but what a painful and unnecessary ordeal for that pup to go through. :( Knowing that he swallowed a skewer one would think that an ultrasound and/or exploratory surgery whould have been insisted upon by his owners and suggested by his vet much sooner than later...


Maggie Mae's Mom

Jake of Florida said...

I hurt just thinking about it. How could anyone not make the connection?

Hope you are having a celebratory fourth!

Joan (of the Barkalots0

JacksDad said...

That is just horrible to think about what pain the dog was in for the month!!

The Oceanside Animals said...

OMG.

Lola and also Franklin, too said...

Poor Jax. It's a good thing that he has a strong constitution. Looks like he's going to continue to need it. I know that if my humans knew I'd swallowed something like that they'd have had me at the vet right away. But then I can't imagine a vet who'd let that go so easily either.

wags, Lola

Sagira said...

Wow...poor baby. I can't imagine th pain he must have been in. I hope nothing else goes wrong with him.

♥I am Holly♥ said...

That poor baby. How in the world could the parents and a vet let the dog suffer so long knowing what he ingested. People like that do not deserve to have an animal of any kind. At least the dog is okay now...no thanks to the people. Lots of love, Debbie and Holly

How Sam Sees It said...

That poor dog! Morons!

Sam

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

What Sam Said

AND THEN SOME

;-(

houndstooth said...

Holy crap! Why do they let stupid people breed?

the booker man said...

poor jax! i'm way glad he's okie dokie. some hoomans are just one fry short of one of those happy meal thingies. :(
*woof*
the booker man

Molly the Airedale said...

OMG, poor Jax! We're sure glad he's okay! How painful this must have been for him! grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Love ya lots
Maggie and Mitch

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

That poor dog has one very fortunate family - that he survived. If he had been a member of our family, he would have been at the vet from the very minute we realized he had swallowed that skewer. We are thankful to hear he made it.

Woos, the OP Pack

Wrigley said...

Seriously??? I hate hearing stories like this - it makes me think some people aren't smart enough to own animals! Thank goodness Jax is okay.

Wags N Kisses,
Wrigley

Sam said...

Poor dog - he is lucky to have lived after his owners and vet made such STUPID decisions!

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Oh my gosh
How could the owners be so stupid to think it would come out- without hurting something?
How could the vet not see it on the xray?
Some people are clueless.
Sometimes accidents happen like when I swallowed a christmas tree light bulb, but mom had me into the vet IMMEDIATELY.
I am glad the doggy is okay, but I don;t think he should be living with those people.
love
tweedles

animal lover, quilt lover said...

The tears came down as I read this story!!! POOR poor dog!!! He or she needs to be rescued!!!

Sue said...

That poor dog deserves a better home and that vet should get another profession.

Kari in Alaska said...

a month? thats terrible

Bailey said...

I am glad this story turned out OK, but Mom had to read it with one eye closed, 'cause these stories make her cry. Some people shouldn't be allowed to have pets!

Linda said...

I feel as if I would like to pop the skewer somewhere very unpleasant into the poor pups owner's posteriors.
Goodness why are people soo stupid and uncaring.

Sierra Rose said...

Oh my!!! That is one awful experience for this pup! Those cries of pain!!! Glad all was resolved...never quick enough though :)

Hugs and snaggle-tooth kisses,
Sierra Rose