Miracle dog Lola survives ‘brush’ with death

A one-year-old French Bulldog has survived a hair-raising brush with death after swallowing an eight-inch-long steel-handled styling comb.

Lola was referred as an emergency case to Northwest Veterinary Specialists.

Luckily for Lola, an endoscopy and X-rays showed that the sharp-ended comb had missed her major internal organs and hadn’t pierced her oesophagus – despite the fact the comb had been swallowed whole.

Relieved owner Zoe Parton, from Stockport, is thankful Lola emerged almost unscathed from such a close call, and said: “She really is a miracle dog and has been so very lucky.

“The comb has a sharp, steel handle which could have pierced any of her internal organs and caused serious damage, or worse, but all she came home with was a sore throat!

“It’s incredible. There wasn’t even a mark on the comb. It was still in pristine condition, no teeth marks where she had tried to chew it or break it down so she obviously swallowed it down in one.”

Zoe’s relief at Lola’s escape was in stark contrast to her feelings when her pet suddenly started choking and showing signs of neck and shoulder pain and lameness.

She added: “We were referred to NWVS for expert care and when they told me Lola had swallowed a comb I was amazed. I am a hairdresser but all of my hairdressing equipment is locked up in a box in the cupboard, so I have no idea how she got hold of it, even less how she managed to swallow it.”

NWVS’ head of neurology Luca Motta and European internal medicine diplomate Harry Warwick combined their experience and expertise to safely retrieve the comb without needing to operate.

Luca, a RCVS recognised specialist and European diplomate in veterinary neurology, said: “Lola was referred to us for investigation of neck and forelimb pain and pelvic limb weakness.

“X-rays revealed a long, thin metallic foreign body, later discovered to be a comb, which was deep in her oesophagus and likely to be the cause of the lameness so she was immediately referred to our internal medicine department for its removal.”

Harry added: “The comb extended approximately eight inches from the entry to the stomach to the base of her neck. It’s remarkable she managed to swallow it given the length of the comb.

“An added complication was that the sharp metal point of the parting comb was also pressing into the oesophagus in the region of the thoracic inlet, which was presenting as neck and limb pain.

“The comb was lodged at the lower oesophageal sphincter and the sharp point would likely have pierced the oesophagus at some point if it had not been removed.

“Its precarious position also made it very tricky to grasp with the endoscope – a small tube with camera and mini-tools inserted down the throat – and extremely difficult to remove.

“It took the combined efforts of several medics to manipulate and remove the comb. The sharp point had to be very carefully manoeuvred during retrieval to avoid any damage to the oesophagus. It was a tough task but we managed to remove it safely.

“Lola was eating comfortably the same evening and was discharged the following day.”

A grateful Zoe added: “The team at NWVS said they were going to try and get it out the same way it had gone down, which would be less invasive than a full-blown operation.

“I’m so relieved and I must say that everyone at NWVS was absolutely brilliant. They carefully explained everything and were very informative and reassuring throughout.

“They were outstanding and I would definitely recommend them. Lola has certainly had such a lucky escape. It’s such a crazy incident that I’ve been talking about it almost non-stop and everybody thinks it’s a remarkable story.”