Vets save the sight of a dog who got a stick embedded in its eye

Vet in Edinburgh have saved the eye-sight of a dog who got a stick embedded in one of her eye sockets.

The owners of Mia the collie feared the six-year-old had lost her eye when she emerged from playing in a hedge with a 5cm stick poking from the socket.

Her local vet in Doune, Perthshire, quickly referred Mia to the specialist ophthalmology service at the University of Edinburgh’s Hospital for Small Animals at the Royal (Dick) School for Veterinary Studies.

CT scan images revealed the stick was still in one piece and lodged just above the eye, and vets were able to carefully remove the object without the need for an invasive operation, leaving Mia with only a superficial scratch on her eye.

The vets who treated Mia are delighted with her recovery.

Ben Blacklock, a vet specialist ophthalmologist who led the team at the University of Edinburgh, said: “This was an unusual situation for us and we are really pleased to see Mia back to full health and enjoying life.

“We are lucky to have such an amazing group of people here, including specialists in anaesthesia and radiology, and a highly skilled and compassionate nursing team who could make Mia’s treatment and recovery go as smoothly as possible.”

Mia the dog after her operation to remove a stick embedded in her eye socket. (Picture credit: Paul McGylnn/University of Edinburgh /PA Wire)

Mia is now back to full health following the incident in February.

Her owner Paul McGlynn said: “We can’t believe that Mia has escaped with just a scratch, we were convinced she would have to lose her eye.

“We are grateful to the team who treated her and so pleased to have her home as happy as ever.”

A message from the Editor:

Mia the dog after her operation to remove a stick embedded in her eye socket. (Picture credit: Paul McGylnn/University of Edinburgh /PA Wire)

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.