Jake Willis - Birmingham
Owner Barry had taken Jake out for his regular run about through the field tossing a ball around for him to chase. It wasn't until they returned home and Barry's wife Bev was greeted by Jake that she noticed he was having difficulty breathing. Bev and her Father Rodger took Jake to their regular daytime Vets, however once they had a look at Jake they suggested that they took him to their local Vets Now Emergency Clinic because they have the equipment that was necessary to treat him.
Jake was immediately taken to the Vets Now clinic on Hagley Road, Birmingham where the veterinary team assessed his condition upon arrival. What they found was shocking... Jake had a ball wedged in his throat! This was obviously causing him to have serious breathing difficulties and resulting in a great deal of distress.
Senior Veterinary Surgeon in the Vets Now Birmingham clinic commented:
"Jake had gone into respiratory arrest so it was clear to us that the only way we were going to be able to release the ball from Jake's throat was to perform a tracheotomy. These procedures are not very common and required a combination of the necessary equipment and a team that can give 100% emergency response."
The traheotomy procedure created an opening into the trachea through the neck, bypassing the upper airway alowing Jake to breath easier. At this point the ball that was wedged in Jakes throat was also removed. Once the operation was complete owner Beverley Willis was reunited with a rellieved Jake and couldn't believe the size of the ball that was presented to her, she comments:
 "I was so happy that Jake was okay but was in shock when I saw the size of the ball that had been stuck in his throat, it was just a little bit smaller than a tennis ball. Once I saw it I realised just how lucky we were that Jake was okay."
 Since his tracheotomy Jake has made a full recovery and is back to himself again, running around in the fields, however Bev is quick to point out that he is no longer chasing balls!
