Panic as dog requires URGENT surgery before vet discovers SURPRISING item in stomach
A STEADY-HANDED vet has revealed the moment she discovered the reason for Charlie the Labrador’s serious illness – he had been having his own teddy bears picnic.
Vet Alice Watson holds up the mangled remains of two toy bears she cut free from the cheeky dog’s stomach under anaesthetic.
The 11 month old puppy had to undergo emergency surgery after his worried owner found him vomiting.
Claire Ferley rushed the black-coated pet to Taverham Vets in Norfolk, fearing he had eaten something harmful as he would not stop being sick.
X-rays showed the Labrador’s stomach was full of food – a typical trait for a breed renowned for their appetites – and he was admitted overnight and put on medications to stop the sickness.
Next morning, with Charlie continuing to be ill, he was taken into the operating theatre for surgery, leaving the vet to carefully tweezer out the chewed up teddies from his digestive system.
Pictures from the Norfolk practice show the moment the vet removed the teddy bears and another shot gives an indication of how much space they would have taken up in Charlie’s stomach.
“Charlie had continued to vomit despite treatment and repeat x-rays still showed a stomach full of 'food', even though Charlie hadn't eaten for 36 hours,” explained a spokesman for the vets.
“It was decided that Charlie should be taken to surgery to investigate his stomach contents. Vet Alice performed the surgery and found Charlie's stomach was full of chewed up teddy bear toys – two in total.
“After surgery, Charlie received lots of TLC in our hospital and recovered very well. He is now home and back to his cheeky self.”
Owner Ms Ferley, 40, from Banbury, Oxfordshire, had been visiting friends in Norfolk when Charlie was taken ill.
After the operation, she was able to piece together what happened: he had eaten the bears belonging to a friend’s dog a few days earlier.
She said: “It was very worrying, particularly as I was away from home. We just weren't sure what was wrong with him.
“He's doing brilliantly. He's not been able to go out for a week but he has got the all-clear. He's full of energy and strength.”