Rhys Williams was out for a walk and playing with his beloved golden retriever Nancy when she had an accident which almost cost them her life. On Sunday, October 16, Mr Williams was throwing a ball for his five-year-old dog Nancy on the grassy bank near his home in Stepney Street, Cwmbwrla. When he called her back, Nancy, who was off the lead, decided to jump over a fallen tree which was laid out on the bank rather than run around it.
Disastrously, Nancy jumped over a jagged tree branch and caught the side of her stomach on the wood which was jutting out. Mr Williams, 49, heard his dog yelp and called her over to check if she was okay. "Her tail was between her legs and I knew something wasn't right," he said.
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Mr Williams noticed a "little bit of blood" on Nancy's fur and took her home where she sat on her favourite spot by the window. It was then that he noticed the large wound which looked quite serious and was bleeding. Mr Williams said he showed his step-daughter who almost passed out after taking one look at poor Nancy.
The adored family pet was sent to the PDSA as it was out of hours for the vets and Nancy's family was told she had a 32cm tear right under her stomach and along her hind quarters which needed operating on immediately to stitch her back up. Mr Williams said the tree which had caused the tear fell in a storm around a year ago.
Mr Williams said it was a "pretty horrific wound" and the vets told him that Nancy was lucky to be alive as the tree branch could have punctured a vital organ. "She's a brave little girl," Mr Williams said.
The initial vet bills cost £3,000 and due to issues with the wound healing, Nancy has had to have two other operations since costing around £500 each time. A drain was left in to help Nancy's stiches heal and she is unable to move around so her wounds can close up.
Medication has cost around £250 and Mr Williams said he had to charge all the vet bills to a credit card in the hope of claiming it back on insurance, However, he will need to pay 15% of the total bill plus consultation fees.
Nancy has undergone anaesthetic three times in just two weeks since the accident and vets told Mr Williams that she was lucky she was young enough to bounce back after each operation as this could have been fatal for an older dog.
Mr Williams is now increasingly worried that there will be further complications with her wounds, not only because he is concerned about his canine companion but also because he will exceed his limit on vet fees that can be claimed back.
"I never thought we'd get to this point but some people have suggested I start a GoFundMe page, I'm seriously considering doing that if I have to keep paying out. There's not much money to spare at the moment and I can't keep forking out £500 every other week."
On how Nancy is doing now, Mr Williams said, "Her tail is still wagging, she's still looking for lots of attention and she's very needy! She's been incredibly brave." Nancy is unable to go on any walks or play with her ball - which Mr Williams said is her favourite thing to do - until the wounds heal which could take months.
After the incident, Mr Williams contacted Cwmbwrla councillor Peter Black CBE, who arranged for the tree to be removed by the council. "I had the tree removed as soon as I could and asked for the stump to be cut down. It was a terrible accident," said Cllr Black.
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