Doune dog had 5cm stick embedded in eye socket

A dog has had her sight saved by vets after having a 5cm (2in) stick embedded in her eye socket.

Mia the collie's owners feared she had lost her eye when she came out of a hedge with the stick poking out.

Their vet in Doune, near Stirling, referred her to specialists at the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School for Veterinary Studies.

Vets there managed to remove the stick without an invasive operation, leaving her with just a scratch on her eye.

Mia the collie is now back to full health after her ordeal

The six-year-old had to have a CT scan which revealed that the stick was still in one piece and lodged just above the eye.

After removing the stick and flushing the area with fluids to make sure there were no remaining fragments, Mia was able to walk out of the clinic and has suffered no long-term damage to her sight.

She is now back to full health following the incident in February.

The stick that was wedged in Mia's eye socket

Ben Blacklock, a vet specialist ophthalmologist who led the team at the University of Edinburgh, said: "This was an unusual situation for us and we are really pleased to see Mia back to full health and enjoying life.

"We are lucky to have such an amazing group of people here, including specialists in anaesthesia and radiology, and a highly skilled and compassionate nursing team who could make Mia's treatment and recovery go as smoothly as possible."

Mia's owner Paul McGlynn said: "We can't believe that Mia has escaped with just a scratch, we were convinced she would have to lose her eye.

"We are grateful to the team who treated her and so pleased to have her home as happy as ever."