A curious dog had to undergo two emergency procedures in just a matter of weeks after munching on pieces of his new favourite snack - a garden hose pipe.
Rodney, a black Labrador, had been digging in the overgrown bushes in his new back garden when he became unwell.
His owners, Richard and Oriana Kelly, immediately rushed him to the vets where tests soon revealed that there was a blockage in his intestine and he underwent surgery to remove it, Cheshire Live reports.
The couple were not certain exactly what the foreign object was at first - or where Rodney had acquired it - but described it as a "reinforced" piece of red plastic with a mesh lining, similar to that of a hose pipe.
Unfortunately, while he was recovering, he was struck down a second time just three weeks later when Rodney started vomiting again. It was revealed that he has once again sniffed out the hosepipe and continued to munch his way through it.
After going to Manor Court Veterinary Surgery in Tarvin, Rodney was referred to Willows Veterinary Hospital in Hartford, near Northwich, for his second emergency surgery. This time tests revealed there was something in his stomach and his intestines.
Richard, 36, from Hoole, said: "We'd moved house and the back garden is a bit overgrown. We let Rodney out and he'd go off behind the hedges, we didn't know what he was up to. Shortly afterwards, he got really ill, started being sick and acting really weird so we took him to the vet who did all sorts of tests and took an X-ray and scan and they realised he had something lodged in his intestines.
"We were away at this point at my mother-in-law's in Sussex so we had to take him to the vets there. He had surgery to remove what looked like reinforced plastic so we suspected it might be a bit of old discarded hose pipe or something. We brought him back, he was going through his rehabilitation and three weeks later, after picking up a new puppy, we were doing renovations on the house and all living in one room.
"At this point, we didn't know at the time he'd found the foreign object in the garden, we didn't know where he'd got it from. We let both dogs out in the garden and Rodney started rummaging around in the hedges again and the following morning, the same thing happened again, he was being sick, he was retching loads - all the same things he'd been doing three weeks prior.
"So we took him to our local vet and tests revealed that this time there was something in his stomach and his intestines so he needed a slightly more complicated operation. They pulled out what looked like exactly the same thing as he'd eaten the first time.
"We suspect it must be something nice and tasty and that it's hidden behind the bushes somewhere in the garden and he'd gone off and found the same thing twice - so now we've got to get the garden cleared trying to find this thing that he keeps eating."
Richard says Rodney is now banned from the garden without a muzzle - at least until the clearing work is done. The couple, who are expecting their first baby, are so worried that something similar might happen again that they've even started putting the muzzle on Rodney when he's out for walks too.
Richard Nolan, a vet surgeon who saw Rodney at Manor Court, which is run by Willows Veterinary Group, said he had had a "lucky escape" and urged owners to check their surroundings for anything that could be harmful to their pet. The vet of 33 years said: "Rodney is a typical Labrador who does suffer with digestive upsets generally, he's got a sensitive gut and the owners are very careful about what he eats and when.
"I've been dealing with his sensitive digestion in the past but things went downhill when they moved house. The interesting thing about this particular case is the precautionary tale about moving to a new house. They were focusing on getting the house in order while the dog explored the garden so it serves as a warning to others moving house to think about what their dogs might be finding.
"Rodney probably hasn't learnt much from the experience but he's doing ok despite having two quite significant surgeries to take these foreign bodies out. If we can avoid surgery and the foreign body can pass naturally, then it's better all around, but to actually physically cut into the bowel, you're running the risk of infection and adhesions...for the dog to have it done twice as in Rodney's case, it's certainly not what the doctor ordered so to speak.
"Lots of Labradors explore the world by eating first and asking questions later, that's what happened here. It was a misfortune of his own concoction but he's had a lucky escape and has had excellent care from two different centres and is doing well."
Despite being quite "traumatised" after his ordeal, Rodney is now back on the road to recovery. "He seems fine now, bouncing around the place, he's definitely on the mend," said owner, Richard. "We'd like to thank everyone who played a part in looking after him."
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