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Aaron and DeAnna Comer heard their dog Sweets scream while she was running in the woods near their home with her brother, Hatch. When they reached her, Aaron Comer said Sweets was spinning and a jagged tree branch had pierced her abdomen.
That is the part of a pet emergency most owners hope never to face. What happened next is the reason this case matters beyond one family’s scare: the Comers moved quickly, drove more than 30 minutes to VEG ER for Pets in Alpharetta, and veterinarians said Sweets was already beginning to show signs of shock when she arrived.
Sweets, an 8-year-old Brittany spaniel, made it through a five-hour surgery and went home the next day. Aaron said she was later “better than ever,” but the case also offers a blunt reminder that rare outdoor injuries can become life-threatening fast.
Dr. Amanda Stevens, medical director at VEG Alpharetta, said Sweets arrived in critical condition. When she arrived, she had this huge branch sticking out of her abdomen. I could tell she was starting to show signs of shock, Stevens said.
Shock is a medical emergency in dogs, and Veterinary Partner notes that it can follow serious trauma and requires immediate professional treatment. The same guidance says early signs can be hard to recognize and that pets may worsen quickly after an injury, which helps explain why speed mattered in Sweets’ case.
Stevens said her team had never previously treated a patient with a branch penetrating through the abdominal wall. Before surgery could begin, the staff first stabilized Sweets, but there was another problem: the branch was too large to manage as-is while keeping her stable and preparing her for the operation.
The hospital did not have large branch trimmers available, so Aaron, who had rushed from home barefoot and was later given protective booties by the hospital, ran to Walmart and bought hedge trimmers. Aaron said Dr. Stevens held the branch while he cut it so the team could shorten it before surgery.
That detail may sound unusual, but it fits a broader veterinary principle. Veterinary Partner’s first-aid guidance on impalement injuries says owners should never try to remove an impaled object themselves because movement can cause additional internal damage. The same guidance says a foreign object may sometimes need to be shortened for transport or handling, but it should be kept as still as possible.
Veterinary hospitals also treat penetrating injuries as more than a surface wound. VCA Hospitals explains that injuries entering the abdomen or chest can lead to life-threatening internal damage and infection, and patients often need to be stabilized before the full extent of the trauma can be assessed and repaired.
In surgery, Stevens said, the branch had pierced Sweets’ abdominal wall and passed through the tissue that supports the intestines. It missed the liver, spleen, and other major organs.
The branch had pierced through her abdominal wall, passing through the tissue that supports the intestines, but it missed her liver, spleen and other major organs. The fact that it missed everything and she went home the next day is a miracle to me, Stevens said.
That outcome does not mean these injuries are usually simple. The Merck Veterinary Manual says penetrating injuries can cause delayed complications, and signs of poor perfusion or shock can develop as damage inside the abdomen becomes apparent. That is one reason veterinarians prioritize stabilization and rapid evaluation in trauma cases.
For ordinary dog owners, the most useful takeaway from Sweets’ case is not a home-treatment checklist. It is preparation before anything goes wrong. The American Veterinary Medical Association advises pet owners to keep emergency hospital contact information handy and to call ahead in an emergency so the veterinary team can be ready when the pet arrives.
Aaron said that is the lesson he hopes other families remember. Everyone needs to know where there’s an emergency vet. Like you do for your kids and your family, you need to know where there’s an emergency vet because pets are part of our family.
Sweets recovered in less than 24 hours after surgery and soon returned to normal behavior, including chasing squirrels and running through the woods. The family later donated the hedge trimmers to the hospital, a practical footnote to a case that could have ended very differently.
Owners cannot prevent every freak accident. But knowing where your nearest emergency veterinarian is, and getting there fast when a severe injury happens, may give your dog the best chance to come home.
What would you do if your dog were in this situation? Share your thoughts in the comments.
By Sarah Mitchell — 8 years as a local-news reporter covering animal welfare, shelters, neighborhood disputes, and public-safety pet stories.
