AN ASTONISHED vet pulled a tiny porcelain serving bowl from the stomach of a pet dog that had mysteriously stopped eating.
The owners of Shadow, a Weimaraner, feared for the worst when the normally happy and healthy 10-month-old suddenly lost its appetite.
X-rays quickly revealed the pet had swallowed something hollow.
But vet Emilie Law could hardly believe her eyes when she operated on Shadow and found the delicate, toy bowl, still intact, and full of miniature rubber carrots.
“I’ve come across dogs that have eaten all sorts of things, but this is one of the most unusual items we have ever seen,” said Emilie.
“The owners were worried,” said Emilie. “They thought he must have eaten something he shouldn’t have. He’s eaten stones in the past but it clearly wasn’t a stone he’d eaten this time from the X-ray.
“The X-ray showed a round, hollow foreign body.
“We were amazed when we operated and discovered it was a toy porcelain bowl containing carrots.”
Owner John Muir, from Carnock, Fife, is delighted to have Shadow back but reeling at a bill of almost £1,000.
He was soon able to clear up the mystery – the item came from his 10-year-old daughter Hope’s doll’s house.
“Shadow has eaten all sorts of things,” he said. “We’ll have to be more careful about what he can get hold of in future.”
He said that when Shadow stopped eating they were initially not too concerned.
“We left him a couple of days to see if he’d get better but when he didn’t we thought we’d get him checked out.
“There were three little rubber carrots from Hope’s Sylvanian Families in there.”
Shadow’s strange eating habits have burned a large hole in the family finances.
“The whole thing’s cost £940,” said John. “It was quite a back flattener. I had to go and sit down afterwards. We don’t have insurance but its something we will certainly be looking into.”
He joked: “Any donations will be gratefully received.”
Emilie said Shadow’s behaviour was quite common in young dogs.
“Young dogs are a bit like babies,” she explained. “As they explore their environment everything seems to go into their mouths.”
Thankfully, Shadow is now none the worst for his unlikely snack.
“The intestine around the bowl was quite healthy,” said Emilie, of Inglis Veterinary Hospital, Dunfermline.
“The operation went well. We kept him overnight, giving him small amounts of food. He’s home now, and is doing well.”
