Brandy the Staffie came within a whisker of dying as vets battled for nearly five hours to remove the inch-thick piece of branch from her body.Astonishingly, the stick managed to miss major blood vessels when it pierced Brandy’s mouth, shot down her throat and finally lodged in her chest.Shocked owner Sophia-Jayne Lye rushed the badly wounded pet to the nearby PDSA Thamesmead Pet Hospital in south east London where surgeons began touch-and-go surgery.Today the owner described the horrific scenes when Brandy collapsed in the garden after swallowing the stick.The owner said: “I was inside when I heard my daughter screaming.

Somehow the three poles had missed his vital organs.There was still need for two further operations, provided at Hendon PDSA Pet Hospital, but within weeks Skittles was out exploring again and his latest photograph gives no clue to his death-defying antics.WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGE BELOWSkittles the cat impaled on railings (Image: RSPCA)Skittles was rescued by London Fire Brigade (Image: RSPCA)RSPCA Deputy Chief Inspector Nicole Broster, who was one of the first on the scene, said: “In all my years with the RSPCA I had never seen anything like this.

The shocking act of cruelty saw a high-velocity slug fracture Dexter’s jaw before passing out through his neck, leaving bits of metal embedded in his skull.Yet the jet black cat’s luck held out and his miracle recovery today sees him nominated for Pet Survivor of the Year 2018.He is one of three cats, the others are Maximus and Skittles, as well as Brandy the dog, who are competing for the prestigious title in a public vote for the award from the veterinary charity, PDSA.