Six-year-old collie Mia (pictured) was playing in a hedge when she emerged with the 5cm stick poking out of her eye.

Six-year-old collie left with only a small scratch after freak accident.

A collie named Mia is recovering well after veterinary specialists at the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School for Veterinary Studies removed a 5cm stick from her eye socket.

Mia's owner brought the six-year-old collie into his local veterinary practice after the dog emerged from a hedge she had been playing in with a large stick emerging from her eye socket.

The animal was quickly referred to the specialist ophthalmology service at the University of Edinburgh’s Hospital for Small Animals at the Royal (Dick) School for Veterinary Studies, where at CT scan revealed that the stick was still in one piece and lodged just above the eye.

The images from the scan enabled the veterinary team to safely remove the object without the need for invasive surgery, leaving Mia with only a small scratch on her eye.

The area was then flushed with fluids to ensure there were no remaining fragments and Mia was able to walk out of the clinic unaided, suffering no long term damage to her sight.

“We can’t believe that Mia has escaped with just a scratch,” said Mia's owner Paul McGlynn, “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.”

Ben Blacklock, specialist ophthalmologist 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.”

Images (c) Paul McGlynn (Mia) and University of Edinburgh.