X-RAYS taken of one-year-old Mastiff Chico showed what looked like an extra rib in the dog — but it wasn’t one of his own.
Owner Craig Anderson, from the Newlands area of Glasgow had bought the rib bone as a special treat for Chico, and had assumed that it would be fine for him so long as he was supervised.
He was proved wrong, however, as he quickly found out.
“He pretty much swallowed it in one mouthful,” said Craig.
“He seemed fine, but I knew he wouldn’t be able to digest it properly, so I took him straight to PDSA.”
Vets there were stunned that Chico had managed to swallow the rib whole without causing himself injury.
The bone was actually six inches long, and quite thick, too, so Chico really was lucky.
Susie Hermit, Senior Vet at PDSA’s Glasgow Shamrock Street Pet Hospital, said: “I’ve never seen an x-ray like it before, the position of the bone really did look like Chico had an extra rib!
“Amazingly, he’d managed to swallow the bone whole, but didn’t seem to be in any pain.
“However, we knew we had to carry out emergency surgery to remove it because it could have caused a life-threatening tear to his stomach or intestines.”
You’ll be pleased to know that Chico has since made a full recovery, although Craig won’t be feeding him any more bones in the future.
“I was so worried for him while he was in the operating theatre,” he said.
“It’s a miracle the bone didn’t cause any damage.
“I’m so grateful to PDSA for the amazing care they gave to Chico, it’s something I’ll never forget.
“It goes without saying, but I don’t give bones to him at all after this.
“It’s definitely a case of once bitten twice shy.”
Susie added: “Chico is very lucky. We don’t recommend bones to be given as treats because they can cause digestive tract damage and blockages.
“Surgery is usually needed to remove the blockage and, in some cases, the damage is so serious that it can be fatal.”
Thanks to funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, PDSA is educating pet owners about pets eating inappropriate foods and objects, and how to keep their animals safe.
Bones were the most common items removed from pets’ stomachs by PDSA vets last year, with 59 cases seen.
Other strange items swallowed by pets include stones (28 cases) and corn on the cob (29).
PDSA vets say training pets from a young age in basic commands like “drop” and “leave” can help to get them to let go of inappropriate objects if you catch them in the act.
For more information about why dogs swallow strange things visit www.pdsa.org.uk/strange
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