Vets remove a bullet stuck in the throat of a German Shepherd named Kaiser, who was moments away from tragedy.
- A German Shepherd called Kaiser was rescued by vets after choking on a ball
- His owner rushed him to the vet after the ball bounced in his mouth.
This is the moment a German Shepherd narrowly escaped death after vets removed a bullet stuck in his throat.
The dog, named Kaiser, was playing with the red ball on a daily walk when it bounced into his mouth.
The eight-year-old dog soon began to choke and gasp, leaving owner Suzanne MacKenzie petrified.
The grandmother then drove her beloved dog straight to the local vet in Clydebank, near Glasgow, Scotland.
Vets then sedated the German Shepherd before pushing the small red lump out of the suffocated dog’s throat as he lay moments from his death.
Suzanne MacKenzie (right) took her German Shepherd, called Kaiser (left), to the vet, he started choking on a ball
Ms MacKenzie said: “Chasing a ball is Kaiser’s favorite thing, but he has hip problems.
“So I never throw it high to keep it from jumping.
“We were near the grass nearby, and it must have bounced and gone straight down his throat.
“I tried to reach out and handle it, but it was too low.
“He was choking and gasping.
“But, halfway to the vet, his breathing turned into an awful rasp.
“I knew it was bad.
“It was so scary.”
With the balloon stuck too far down his throat to easily reach, Kaiser was sedated and put on a catheter as he panicked and asphyxiated.
A dental gag was put in place to keep the mouth open.
Video footage shows vets successfully extracting the small red ball from the dog.
Reuniting with her pet, Suzanne said: “I couldn’t stop crying while I waited.
“The idea that they might be unable to save him was horrific.
“I threw all his balls out and I would definitely advise everyone not to take any risks.”
Vets said Kaiser was minutes from death.
Veterinarians in Clydebank, near Glasgow, saved the choking German Shepherd by removing the bullet from his throat.
Clinical director Joanne Cameron of My Family Vets said: “There was a small gap for some air to get in, but the soft tissue was swelling and his tongue was blue from lack of oxygen.
“Kaiser couldn’t have survived very long, so time was critical.
“The balloon was too slippery to be removed with instruments, and I didn’t want to risk pushing it down and completely blocking the airway.
“So, I used my fingers to work the ball from outside the throat, then I felt it move and suddenly came out.”
After witnessing another case where, tragically, the dog did not survive, vets are warning other owners of the life-threatening dangers the bullets can pose.
“Never let your dog play with a ball small enough to clog his throat and also watch if he is chasing someone else’s ball in a park.”
“If a ball gets stuck, don’t try to get it out.
“Take the dog to a veterinarian immediately.”
