Dog impaled on a stick in High Wycombe garden

A dog had a miracle escape when she was chasing a bird in her garden and became impaled on a stick in High Wycombe.

Jinnie was in agony when the 6in-long branch pierced her chest and missed her heart by millimetres.

The four-year-old Lurcher cross bounded through a hedge when the sharp stick skewered her right side on September 18.

She was saved thanks to emergency surgery but her High Wycombe owner John Enright is warning of the dangers sticks pose to dogs.

John, 60, said: “She came back in and lay down on her bed a few minutes later and we saw this stick hanging out of her chest cavity.

“I actually thought it was one of her ribs which had popped out.

“We had a look in the garden later and saw where we think she’d propelled herself into a low-hanging branch that snapped off.

“She was trembling a bit and was obviously in a bit of shock. There was blood coming from the wound, which was about two or three inches across.

“I had a fleeting thought about reaching down and pulling the stick out, as the end we could see looked quite smooth.

“But I knew that wasn’t the right thing to do and I needed help fast.”

Vehicle leasing boss John rushed Jinnie to the Vets Now Clinic in Reading where she underwent emergency surgery.

Senior vet Paul Salmon said: “We examined Jinnie thoroughly and it became clear the stick injury required careful exploration as there was a risk of penetration into the thorax.

“While we could feel the end of the stick superficially, we were unsure just how extensive the damage was under the skin.

“We sedated Jinnie, gave her pain medication and fluids and began the intricate process of searching for splinters, removing the stick and cleaning and repairing her wounds.”

Amazingly Jinnie has made a full recovery and relieved owner John has now joined the ‘Ditch the Stick’ campaign.

Although Jinnie’s case was a freak accident involving a branch on a bush, many dogs suffer horrible injuries from sticks thrown for them.

A report from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2018 found dogs suffer as many injuries playing fetch as they do on Britain’s roads.

John, who was reunited with his beloved pooch on Tuesday, said: “It was such a relief to get her back and to see her looking so much better than when we handed her over.

“We were over the moon that she came through it all.

“The treatment Jinnie got was first rate and everyone was so caring.

"As a worried owner, it was such a relief to know she was in safe hands and we’re very appreciative of the professional care.

“The exposed end of the stick was thin and smooth, but when I was given it back I saw the other end was very rough and jagged.

“If I’d pulled it out, I could have done so much damage.

“Our instinct was to leave it and get her to the vet and I’m so glad we did.”