Sally's mad dash around a field ended in a trip to our emergency hospital

A daily lockdown walk ended in disaster for one dog owner when her lurcher was badly injured by barbed wire.

Jacqui Clement had taken six-year-old Sally out for her exercise when she suddenly raced off and got caught on a fence.

The evening agony left Jacqui, from Uddingston, near Glasgow, in need of urgent veterinary care for her beloved pet, and she rushed Sally to our pet emergency hospital in Glasgow for treatment.

Like all our clinics and hospitals, our Glasgow hospital is still open to care for pets in need of treatment for urgent illness or injury.

Image of Sally the lurcher for Vets Now article on dog barbed wire injury
Sally was exercising in a field when she jumped over a fence and got caught on the barbed wire

“There are fields near us which is a great place to let her run,” said Jacqui, 54.

“There are deer, rabbits and foxes around. She must have seen something we didn’t and pulled so hard she came off the lead and was gone.

“She tried to jump the barbed wire around a field and didn’t make it. It was just getting dark when we got her back and we just thought she was dirty.

“It was only when we were washing her in the shower when we got her home that we discovered a cut on her belly.

“Then we saw a really bad cut on her neck and knew we needed to get help right away and couldn’t wait until the next day.”

Jacqui drove Sally to the Vets Now pet emergency hospital in Glasgow where she handed Sally over in the car park, under the strict Covid-19 safety protocols in place for staff and patients.

Image of Sally the lurcher for Vets Now article on dog barbed wire injury
Sally's owners noticed her injuries while giving her a bath after her walk

“It wasn’t nice having to leave her, but I understood the reasons why in these circumstances,” said Jacqui, who works in retail.

“It was the first time Sally has ever been away from us overnight, so I didn’t sleep even though we were kept informed right through. I knew she had to be sedated to be stitched and she was definitely in the right place.”

Our team immediately got to work assessing and then treating Sally’s injuries.

“Sally was a lovely dog but it was clear she’d been through the wars. She had several wounds that needed stitching,” said vet Lara Brunori.

“We did that under general anaesthetic and clipped and cleaned the more superficial abrasions.

“She recovered well from the anaesthetic and, after spending the night with us, she was, thankfully, able to go home with her owner the following day.”

Image of Sally the lurcher for Vets Now article on dog barbed wire injury
She was rushed to our Glasgow clinic where she was treated for her wounds

Jacqui was given the good news that all was well early in the morning and was able to collect Sally before lunch.

“She was a bit groggy at first, but she recovered just fine,” added Jacqui. “And she was back to her old self in no time.

“It was such a relief there was help at hand when we needed it. She’s not a dog, she’s a Sally. She’s part of our family.

“You just can’t take chances. If you need treatment for your pet in these times you should make that call.”

In some countries, such as Norway, barbed wire has been banned and calls have been made for the UK to follow suit. If your dog becomes entangled in barbed wire and suffers a bad cut contact your vet or, out of hours, your nearest Vets Now.