Witnessed a horrific thing today while out walking with a friend and her dogs. As we were rounding a corner, we heard the most distressing screams coming from a dog. We thought it was either being beaten or being attacked by another dog. When we went round the corner, we saw a young Labrador, screaming, spinning round and trying to bite itself, as if it had been stung by a bee or something with its owner trying to catch hold of her. It was then that I noticed it appeared to have 5 legs. At first I thought it was a snake locked on to it but as I ran nearer, I saw that it was impaled on a stick! I managed to catch hold of it and the owner pulled the stick out. It was about 2ft. long with a sharp end. The sharp end was covered in blood for about 3 inches. Thankfully no blood came out after the stick was removed so I think it may have pierced the flesh and gone in between the flesh and any muscle or soft tissue. It had entered under the front leg armpit. We walked with the owner back to her car while she was phoning her vet for an emergency appointment and the dog seemed fine although its tail was under which happens when they are frightened. We thought the dog must have run onto it while running through the trees or bushes but the owner confessed that she had been throwing the stick for the dog to catch and it caught up to it while it was still bouncing. I know you aren’t supposed to throw sticks for dogs although I did with our Susie but I’d never have thrown a stick of that length, especially if it had a sharp end. I hope the dog is okay.
