Shenzi's owner, Megan, noticed she had begun to appear a little under the weather. As Shenzi was still eating, drinking, and going to the toilet, she put it down to her being unwell and would keep a close eye on her. The following day, she was shocked to see a small lump on Shenzi's back.

Megan feared the worst and was terrified that it could be cancer. The lump grew bigger as the day went on, so she called her local PDSA Pet Hospital in Derby, who immediately booked her in for an appointment.

When Megan and Shenzi arrived at the Pet Hospital, horror struck. The unidentified growing lump had something starting to protrude out of it. Megan said: "We couldn't believe what we were seeing. By the time Shenzi was in the consultation room, the skewer was sticking out by a couple of inches. It was absolutely horrifying, and we were distraught. The vets told us they would do everything possible to save Shenzi, but we were also warned to prepare for the worst."

Shenzi was immediately put on a fluid drip and given sedation and pain relief so X-rays could be taken to check where the skewer was sitting. Thankfully, the images revealed that it had not entered her chest cavity, which could have punctured or collapsed her lung. The next step was emergency surgery to determine what damage had been done to Shenzi's abdomen.

PDSA Vet Chris Furniss, who performed the surgery, said: "This was a highly unusual case Shenzi was extremely fortunate that the skewer did not cause her a fatal injury or infection. During surgery, we found it had pierced through her stomach before passing through the abdominal wall, amazingly missing all her other internal organs.

"Once we had fully inspected Shenzi's abdomen for further damage and taken measures to prevent gastric leakage, a drain was placed into the wound to help any fluid and infection drain freely, helping her recover as quickly as possible. Shenzi was given antibiotics and further pain relief and kept at PDSA overnight for observation and treatment. The following morning, she was much brighter and well enough to return to her loving family, much to their, and our, relief."

The drain was removed a few days later, followed by the stitches the week after.

Megan said: "We are so grateful to PDSA for saving Shenzi's life. I suffer from ill health, and my seven-year-old son is severely autistic, so our dog is a great source of comfort to us and boosts our mental wellbeing. Shenzi joined our family when my partner and I were working, but our circumstances have changed dramatically. Money is a constant worry, particularly with the price of essentials like heating, fuel, and groceries going through the roof. If we hadn't been able to access veterinary treatment from PDSA, I genuinely don't know what we would have done. Shenzi is a huge part of our life; we would be lost without her."

If you are able to, please donate today to help us raise £771 to cover the cost of Shenzi's life-saving treatment. Help us keep people and pets together throughout the cost of living crisis.