West Yorkshire vet practice issues Mochi toy warning after pet needs emergency surgery

Miniature Schnauzer Flossie was taken to Shearbridge Veterinary Centre in Queensbury, which is part of the VetPartners group of veterinary practices, when her owner became concerned that she was very subdued and had started to vomit.

Due to the signs Flossie was presenting at the time, vet and clinical director Gordon Slater gave her anti-sickness medication and advised her owner to bring her back to the practice the following morning if she was still unwell.

When Flossie returned the next day, Gordon could feel a suspicious lump in the dog’s abdomen and suspected she had eaten something that had travelled through her stomach and was causing a blockage in her intestine.

He referred Flossie to his colleague, co-clinical director Sarah Reeves, who performed emergency surgery to remove the foreign body. She was extremely surprised when she made an incision in Flossie’s small intestine and a Mochi figure appeared.

Mochis are bright, colourful and squishy collectables and are popular with children and adults as sensory toys.

Thanks to the skills and expertise of the Shearbridge Vets team, Flossie was able to go home the same day and is back to her happy, lively self.

Now Sarah and Flossie’s owner, Maureen Whiteley, have joined forces to warn anyone who has Mochi toys in their home to be extra vigilant if they have pets.

Sarah said: “Flossie is very lucky that her owner acted quickly and brought her to us as soon as she suspected a problem, because the toy was completely blocking the small intestine and it could have proved fatal if it wasn’t removed.

“I was very surprised when I saw the toy and at first it looked like a little alien was emerging! Then I realised it was a Mochi as my daughter has quite a lot of them – teachers give them out as rewards in lessons and they are popular items to put in party bags.

“The toy hadn’t been chewed, so Flossie must have swallowed it whole and because she’s a small dog that weighs around 6kg, it went through her stomach and then got stuck. If a bigger dog had eaten it, they may have been OK and it could have made its own way through the digestive system.

“I am also a dog owner and I’ve told my daughter that she must keep these toys safely out of reach and I would urge other people who have these toys to make sure pets can’t get to them as they could be tempted to eat them.”

Flossie’s owner Maureen Whiteley was shocked when she heard what had been making her much-loved pet unwell, as she had never seen one of the toys before.

Mrs Whiteley said: “I’m so grateful to Shearbridge Vets for all they did for Flossie and the care they gave her was first class.

“It is a bit of a mystery where the toy came from and she must have picked it up out on a walk. I didn’t see her eat anything she shouldn’t have in the days before she was ill, although she’s quite inquisitive and can swallow things quickly.

“It’s worrying the things that people discard and I’ve been warning other dog owners to look out for the toys, as I would hate for another pet to eat one and become poorly. I’m so relieved that Flossie is OK and it’s all thanks to the team at Shearbridge Vets.”

Shearbridge Vets puts the care of pets, care of people and care of each other above all else. It is part of VetPartners, which owns some of the UK’s most respected and trusted veterinary practices and associated animal healthcare businesses.