Labrador saved after Beechwood Vets in Leeds make surprising discovery during X-ray

Monty chewed off and swallowed the top of a hard rubber toy, which became lodged in his intestines and could have killed him if it had gone undetected. It was only thanks to a routine examination that the foreign body was detected, after 18-month-old Monty was taken to Beechwood Vets’ practice in Seacroft with a grazed paw.

Vet Becky Taylor felt the solid object in his abdomen and an X-ray confirmed that the surprising blockage was a large round object with a hole in the middle. Monty was immediately taken to theatre for an emergency operation, where surgical director James Tate carried out a laparotomy – a surgical incision to the abdomen – and removed the foreign body.

Becky said: “We took X-rays and found what was quite obviously a rubber toy. He had eaten the top part. We were amazed at how big it was and that he had managed to swallow it. It was probably about 5cm by 3cm.

“From the size of the object and the way it was lodged in his intestines, it had to have moved there from his stomach in the past 24 hours. The intestines were fine but starting to get angry and stretch. It is very lucky for Monty - in another 24 to 48 hours he would have been extremely unwell and the prognosis would have been poor.

“Due to the size, it was in danger of blocking his intestines and rupturing. It was obstructing his gut so food couldn’t pass and could have gone septic. It could have killed him.

“I was amazed just how bright he was three days after the operation. He was a totally different happy, waggy dog. The owners were so lovely. They brought us wine and flowers and were so grateful.”

Monty’s owners Dougie and Jacolyn Benn have since taken Monty back for two check-ups and say he has made a good recovery, much to their relief.

Jacolyn said: “With him being a Labrador, he picks up everything and eats it. We get toys he can’t physically chew up. We got the hardest rubber toy on offer, but he has obviously chewed the top off completely and swallowed it. We noticed the top was missing but thought it could have been in the garden.

“Beechwood Vets did a wonderful job. It was a real worry. Dogs become part of your family. We’re both retired and with him every day. He was bouncing around afterwards and is fine now - back to his usual self.”

Becky and James, a husband and-wife duo who both work at Beechwood Vets, have urged dog owners to look for missing parts of toys, especially those usually filled with treats, if their pets are being sick.

Symptoms of intestinal blockage can include vomiting and diarrhea which can be mistaken for an upset stomach unless a pet owner has witnessed their dog swallowing a foreign object.