A family's beloved dog needed life-saving surgery after swallowing a stone - the size of a lime. Jet, a seven-year-old black Labrador, had spent the night vomiting tiny bits of bile, sparking concern in owners Paul and Julie Reynolds.
They rushed their poorly pooch to Vets4Pets in Cleveleys, Lancashire, who initially prescribed anti-sickness medication and antibiotics. But after no signs of improvement, Jet returned for an X-ray which showed a large, round object in his stomach, which resulted in an emergency operation.
The hour-long procedure saw vets remove the stone, which measured approximately 5cm by 5cm, from Jet’s stomach and then repair the damage to his intestines. Veterinary Surgeon Martin Chamberlain said: “It’s really lucky that Jet’s owners spotted signs that he was unwell and brought him into the practice.
"It can be very difficult to know when a dog has swallowed something they shouldn’t, and unfortunately in Jet’s case the stone had shifted and become lodged in the stomach, meaning that without rapid intervention his condition was life-threatening”.
Thankfully, after a couple of days, Jet was back to his usual self and ready to go home. Paul said: “To this day we have no idea when or where he picked up the stone. We had not been to the beach for a few weeks and Jet has never been one for chewing or swallowing anything previously.”