A stick more than a foot long was safely extracted from Waylon's torso, leaving what was deemed just a superficial injury.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Kamloops Veterinary Clinic

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Clinton Kay and his wife feared the worst when a stick lodged right through their dog Waylon's torso.

Kay was playing fetch with Waylon in the park behind their house. He was "burning some energy" with Waylon before they left for the evening, when it unexpectedly bounced into the dog.

"Running full-tilt towards the stick, it went through him and came out the other end," Kay said. "I yelled out to my wife to get our 10-month-old daughter, and I picked up Waylon straight away — all 37 kilos of him."

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Scared for Waylon's life, Kay, his wife Sam Haughian and their daughter left their Westsyde home for their veterinarian on Dalhousie Drive. The stick, which was more than a foot long, was still lodged through Waylon's torso.

"The team was awesome. They ran him straight in the back," he said. "Obviously it was touch and go. We were fearing the worst, but somehow it miraculously missed everything. It was cosmetic mostly."

Led by Dr. Rebeccah Stewart at Kamloops Veterinary Clinic, a team of veterinary technicians and doctors were able to remove the long stick from Waylon's torso within a couple hours, Kay said.

The fetching incident happened last Wednesday, May 4, and the dog is mostly back to normal. The young dog is full of energy, and keeping him calm to let the wound heal is proving difficult.

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"He's obviously on medication, but even with the meds, he thinks there's nothing wrong with him," Kay said.

Happy to grab a ball to play with, run in the yard, or lounge with their young daughter May, Waylon is back to normal. Even the cone on his head, the stitches and a drain for fluids on his torso don't seem to hold him back.

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They'll be taking Waylon to their vet clinic periodically still and the stitches are expected to be removed next week. Kay said they are grateful for the fast and thorough help from Dr. Stewart and her team.

At home, he said they will likely avoid throwing sticks for Waylon in the future.

"I'll probably be sticking with a tennis ball from now on," Kay said.

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