“I’ll be keeping the dog.”
David Lindsay, a 65-year-old retired builder from Cambridge, learned that puppies have a knack for chewing just about anything – even human toes.
What started as a seemingly painful wake-up call turned into a life-saving moment, all thanks to his bulldog puppy, Harley.
David had fallen asleep on his living room couch when his wife’s terrified screams suddenly woke him up.
Confused by the noise, he looked down and saw Harley gnawing on his big toe. To his shock, the puppy had chewed it down to the bone! As David recalled in an interview:
“I was asleep on the couch when my wife walked in and shouted, ‘Dave, the puppy’s chewing your toe!’ My puppy had near enough chewed my big toe off! It chewed down to the bone and cracked it.”
What really shocked him wasn’t just the gruesome sight; it was the fact that he hadn’t felt a thing. This incident revealed a more serious underlying issue.
David rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, where doctors initially treated his mangled toe with antibiotics to prevent infection. However, further scans revealed that he had two blocked arteries in his leg, causing numbness in his foot.
If left untreated, this condition could put him at risk of losing his leg…
“Because of all this, I discovered that my foot is completely numb, I can’t feel anything.”
Thanks to Harley’s overly enthusiastic chewing, David discovered this serious health issue just in time.
The doctors began devising a plan to restore blood flow to David’s leg, potentially using stents to open the blocked arteries. While he waited to see if they could arrange for stent surgery, he shared,
“I’ll try to keep my toe, too, but if not, I told the doctor to cut it off, and I can take it home for him!”
Harley’s innocent but enthusiastic play had inadvertently saved his owner’s life by bringing attention to a condition that could have led to more severe consequences.
While it’s unlikely that the pup sensed his owner was in danger, dogs have shown an uncanny ability to detect illness.
Despite the ordeal, David’s gratitude for his puppy was overwhelming. “You’ve got to laugh about it,” he said, praising Harley for being his unlikely hero. “He’s done me a favor by chewing my toe.”
David stayed in the hospital for over a week but was eventually discharged. As for Harley, he secured his place as a beloved member of the family – and a literal lifesaver.