Dog recovering after surviving stingray attack

Last Sunday afternoon Bill Mansbridge took Tilly the blue heeler-border collie cross for a swim near his yacht mooring at Boulder Bank in Nelson, New Zealand, when the dog was attacked, likely after accidentally stepping on a stingray while playing in the shallows. The venomous barb pierced Tilly's abdomen and she was in deep shock. Mansbridge contacted the after-hours vet and was told to keep her as comfortable as possible and then bring her ashore for treatment the next morning.

He was warned that she might not survive the night. On Monday morning his wife Binky was waiting at the marina. It was too windy for a dinghy and her husband had to take Tilly to land in the yacht. She was taken to the Victory Square Veterinary Clinic and underwent a four-hour operation to repair her torn bowel and the other damage done in the attack - the first of its type the clinic has ever dealt with. It was a life-and-death event, without surgery 15-month-old Tilly would definitely not have survived, said vet Chris Saunders.

"This fish has a sting a bit like a steak knife with a serrated edge, covered in a mucin, a jelly-like material which contains toxin. It's a bit like being stabbed with a poisoned blade," he said. Tilly would have been in a great deal of localized pain, he said, and had first undergone an exploratory operation to find out the extent of the damage. Another of the clinic's vets, Jacqui Hickman, said Tilly's injuries had required large incisions to treat, and she had "bounced back" well. Although Tilly went home on Friday she wouldn't be "out of the woods" until her stitches were removed and it was certain that she hadn't suffered long-term damage, Hickman said.
"She's very hardy. She's improving each day, she's eating, it's looking good." Binky Mansbridge said Tilly had been chasing seagulls when attacked, with only a lot of splashing to indicate what was happening. "She screamed and got out of the water and shook herself, and then deteriorated quite quickly." It had been a rough night for both her husband and Tilly, but the dog had borne her injuries bravely and even walked into the clinic, to everyone's surprise. "She is recovering incredibly. She's our baby, definitely a family member. She's more important than me."