Peterborough pooch has lucky escape after choking on marble

Fudge, a three-year old female Boxer, was playing in the family home with Maria Napper’s ten-year-old son Archie when she accidentally ate the marble, and started to choke.

Maria rushed the dog to the Bretton practice on Rightwell East, where she was immediately admitted for emergency treatment after being assessed by Veterinary Surgeon Susan Booth.

Gasping for air, Fudge started to turn blue. Susan’s colleague, Lead Veterinary Surgeon Pedro Subtil created an opening in the neck in order to place a tube into the dog’s windpipe to restore her ability to breathe. The marble proved too large to extract, so the team were forced to operate - extracting the object through her windpipe. The windpipe was repaired and the temporary tracheostomy tube was removed.

To the joy of her owners, Fudge woke up from her surgery without any further complications. “It is moments like this that reminds us all why we want to work in the profession,” said Pedro. “After such an ordeal, I’m so pleased that Fudge woke up after her surgery blissfully unaware of all the worry she had caused. With every second counting, Maria did the right thing by rushing her to the practice.”

Maria added: “Pedro and the team were utterly brilliant, and I just can’t put into words how grateful our family is for the whole team’s heroics. Within minutes of us arriving, the team were preparing to operate.

“I must admit, we all thought we were going to lose her on more than one occasion during the evening, but for the quick-thinking efforts of Susan and Pedro, we probably would have done.”