Vet charity PDSA came to the rescue when Yorkshire Terrier Gizmo became stuck in a metal clip.
The tiny Yorkshire Terrier was rushed to PDSA’s Edinburgh Pet Hospital after his leg became so trapped by the clip it could only be freed with bolt cutters.
Poor Gizmo was just home from a walk when his front left leg became wedged in a ‘caribiner clip’, a clip used in safety devices, which linked the collar to the lead.
Owner Martin Beer, 34, and his wife Liz, from Haymarket, Edinburgh, tried in vain to free their pet’s leg from the clip but were unable to. They then decided to take him straight to the city’s PDSA Pet Hospital. Vets were also unable to dislodge Gizmo’s leg without causing him more distress so sedated him so they could remove the device safely using bolt cutters.
Laura Martin, PDSA Vet, said: “Gizmo was brought in to our Pet Hospital in Gorgie and his leg appeared to be quite sore and he was getting very upset.
“We decided that the safest way to remove the clip would be to sedate Gizmo. We shaved the area around the clip and then used the bolt cutters to remove it.”
Martin said his seven-year-old dog had suffered with skin irritation with the original nickel clip on his lead, so they had improvised by using a slightly larger, aluminium clip they had in the house.
He said: “We had been using the new clip for a while with no problems. But this one day Gizmo was sitting in his basket and having a scratch and somehow managed to get his leg stuck in it.
“He was making a lot of noise and he started to panic so we took him straight to PDSA.
“Thankfully he didn’t have any injuries to his leg and was just slightly bruised but we’re really grateful for the treatment he received.”
Martin said they had since bought a new clip which was smaller but made of brass, which didn’t irritate Gizmo’s skin.
PDSA Vet Laura added: “As we always say at PDSA, no two days are ever the same. Gizmo’s spot of bother was just one of those freak events but we’re glad to confirm he has come through it with no lasting damage.”
