Patient of the Week – Sequoia

Sequoia had a very lucky (and unlucky) day that brought her to Mountainside. This sweet girl was out for an innocent hike, when she ran into a stick.

She was very lucky in that it only penetrated her skin, and didn’t enter the thoracic cavity (it could have punctured her lungs very easily!).

Sequoia was sedated and 10cm of stick was removed. We are very happy to report that she went home after waking up from sedation, and is doing well at home!

If your dog does have a penetrating injury (like a stick) stuck in their body, it is best to leave the object in place and stabilize the area as best as you can while applying pressure around the object if bleeding is present.

It is best to then immediately transport your pet to a veterinarian.

With these types of injuries, you can only see what is on the surface, but the object can easily cause significant damage to underlying major organs if it punctures. Sometimes these objects can be stopping internal bleeding so removing them can be fatal.