Poor Trevor the Dachshund mustn’t have known what to think when his body swelled up like an overinflated balloon.
The four-year-old sausage dog suffered a hole in his windpipe, leaving air trapped underneath his skin in what was a very unusual – and paw-ful – case indeed.
Luckily, Trevor, who resides in Lymm, Cheshire has a caring group of humans around him who took him straight to an emergency vet after noticing the alarming bloating as well as problems with his breathing.
The adorable little pup had blown up to three times his usual proportions, looking much more like a bratwurst than your regular supermarket sausage.
His human mummy, Fran Jennings, told the BBC:
He’d blown up like a balloon.
Frantic Fran, who reportedly runs Lymm’s Pets Animal Hotel, added:
We put him straight in the car and took him to the emergency vets and they had never seen anything quite like it.
Whatever it was, it affected his breathing so we had to leave him there while they tried to find out what was wrong.
Check out another unusual ‘dog’ below:
X-ray images revealed how every time sweet, swollen Trevor drew breath, air was forced beneath his skin in a way which was even affecting his heart.
The puffy pet was diagnosed with sub-cutaneous emphysema; when air collects underneath the skin in a way that it most certainly shouldn’t.
Even professional veterinarian, Michelle Coward, who attended to troubled Trevor, had never come across such a case during her time in practice.
Speaking with the BBC, Ms Coward – who performs her animal saving magic at Beech House Surgery in Warrington – said:
I have never seen a case like this before and it was a new surgery for me.
There were no external injuries that would explain how air had got under the skin, so we suspected that an internal injury to the airway could have been allowing the air in.
Every time he took a breath, some of the inhaled air escaped through a hole in his windpipe.
Fortunately, heroic Coward was able to perform an operation on the poorly pooch which alleviated the pressure and patched up the hole in his windpipe. I sincerely hope he was given some post surgery good boy treats!
According to the Liverpool Echo, Coward has described Trevor as being ‘a great character’ and a ‘pleasure to nurse.’
Fran’s daughter, Jessica, who’s previously appeared with sausage dogs at Crufts, told the BBC:
He looked like a big fat seal. His whole body was like a blob. It was horrible seeing him like that. We had to deflate the air out of him, it was weird.
But now he’s back to his normal self, chasing the chickens and we wouldn’t have him any other way.
It’s wonderful news to hear Trevor is on the mend, with his wiener woes a thing of the past.
I’m sure he can’t wait to bark about his misadventures to all his buddies at the park.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.