Submitted by J. Hudson on Fri, 27/06/2025 - 11:53
Seren, one of our much-loved staff dogs, is a familiar face around the vet school. This beautiful Border Collie belongs to our Professor of Equine Studies and is often seen trotting alongside on peaceful countryside walks.
Recently, Seren visited the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital with a limp in a back foot. Our talented vet, Hannah, carried out the initial assessment and suspected a grass seed - those seemingly harmless nuisances that can, in fact, cause a lot of trouble. To investigate further, Seren was gently sedated so Hannah could take a closer look using ultrasound.
What appeared wasn’t a grass seed at all. Beneath the skin, Hannah discovered a dark brown object that turned out to be something quite unexpected - a blackthorn, likely picked up from a hedgerow during a recent walk.
Using tweezers, Hannah carefully began to remove the thorn. To everyone’s astonishment, it kept coming… and coming. The blackthorn had travelled all the way from one side of the paw to the other. Once removed, the wound was flushed with saline, which ran clean through the entire path the thorn had made. The foreign body measured an incredible 1.5 inches long - one of the largest Hannah had ever seen lodged in a dog’s paw.
Thanks to swift and expert care, Seren was treated and back on all four paws within a couple of hours. Recovery was smooth, and Seren is once again enjoying long countryside walks.
Because Seren can be a little anxious around other dogs, the team ensured a calm, quiet route through the hospital, avoiding busy areas and minimising stress. It’s this kind of personalised care we pride ourselves on at the QVSH, always going the extra mile to ensure the wellbeing of every patient, no matter how small (or spiky) the problem.
