Spaniel Oscar recovering after swallowing seven inch skewer
A Stratford dog is lucky to be alive after swallowing a seven inch skewer discarded by litterers on the Recreation Ground.
Oscar, an 11-year-old springer spaniel, fell very ill at the end of June and had to have his spleen removed as part of a major operation to remove the skewer.
Thankfully Oscar is now on the road to recovery, but owner Phil Smith is urging people to think carefully about the dangers littering can pose to animals
Phil said: “Oscar is the most placid dog you could imagine, but he’s been so poorly since this happened.
“My wife Clare was walking him on the Rec at the end of June, about the time all the shops were given permission to re-open and the floodgates opened with all the good weather.
“Basically there was litter and disposable BBQs all over the place and we think he just picked up one of these skewers that had been left by the bins, he must have smelt meat on it.
“After a couple of days he got really sick, we went to the vets and they thought it might be gastroenteritis and gave him antibiotics, but he just didn’t get better, he was very needy and out of sorts, it was totally unlike him.
“We took him back to the vets and they just said there’s got to be something in there, we’re going to have to open him up. Afterwards we called the receptionist and she said they’d found this skewer and sadly while they were in there they noticed his spleen was really enlarged so they had to remove that too.
“It was a really big operation, he’s got loads of internal stitching. Altogether it’s cost more than £1,300, that’s by the by really and we’re hoping the insurance will cover it, but we’re very lucky the skewer stayed intact and it didn’t piece his liver or anything like that, Oscar would have died.
“Also imagine if it had been a child that found the skewer instead, it’s horrible to think about. We’ve kept the skewer as a memento, it’s 17cm long.
“I just think people really need to think before they leave rubbish around like this, it can do real damage. I also think if the council are putting rides on the Rec and encouraging more people to spend time there, they need to consider putting more staff on to empty the bins, it’s inevitable there’s going to be more rubbish.”
In June the Herald received a number of complaints about overflowing bins and littering on the Rec and Bancroft Gardens.
Reiterating how dangerous littering can be Cllr Ian Shenton, portfolio holder for operations at Stratford District Council, said: “I am sorry to hear this sad news about the dog, and I do hope that he is making a full recovery. The message here really is stark, but simple – litter can be lethal.
“People need to be responsible with their own rubbish, use the litter bins provided, but if they are full, take their rubbish home and not to drop litter. People need to act responsibly, it’s just not feasible to have staff picking up people’s rubbish 24-hours a day, although bin emptying regimes have increased.
“Our recently launched hard-hitting campaign, ‘Don’t be a tosser’ does exactly that – it aims to remind people that they need to clean up after themselves and is even more important during the current pandemic in helping to reduce the spread of the disease. We want people to come and enjoy our outside space but we’re also asking people to take responsibility for their own litter.”
