Bagel the beagle is now recovering at home after emergency surgery last week.
A beagle left for dead at the side of the road in Exmouth is now recovering after pioneering surgery by a local vet.
Bagel the beagle was involved in a hit and run on Salterton Road on Thursday, December 6, after he ran off while being walked by his owner on a nearby cycle path.
It is believed the owner of the car that hit Bagel failed to stop but thanks to the help of some passersby and drivers who saw the incident Bagel was rushed to Raddenstiles Vets in Liverton Business Park.
Bagel’s owner, Sally Dunigan, 57, from Drakes Avenue, Exmouth, let Bagel off his lead on the cycle track believing there was very little risk.
Unfortunately Bagel was distracted by something in a nearby wooded area, leaving Sally calling for him and enlisting the help of passersby to look for the wayward hound.
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“Now we know from talking to the vet that a number of drivers had reported an injured dog on Salterton Road and a member of the public rescued Bagel from under a bush and took him to Raddenstiles,” said Sally.
“When I heard about his injuries my heart was in my mouth, the vets told me to come as quickly as I could; I thought he was on his last breath.
“We all know that accidents can happen and I am not attributing blame to the driver, I just hate to think of Bagel left for dead, laying in pain and suffering by the side of the road.”
She added: “We were so lucky that Raddenstiles were in a position to give Bagel the treatment he needed and I want to say a massive thank you to Chris and his team for saving him and the expert care he was given.”
Fortunately, Raddenstiles’ vets Eva Kokkaliari and Chris Ridge were able to stabilise Bagel, give him oxygen therapy and intensive care while they assessed his internal organs.
Bagel suffered a potentially fatal ruptured liver and it took small animal specialist Chris more than an hour of surgery to save Bagel’s life.
There is no standard procedure for performing this kind of surgery on dogs so Chris had to adapt techniques used in human surgery to treat Bagel.
Sally has decided not to involve the police and is willing to accept the incident was an accident.
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