Posted on 12/19/2012 7:03:38 AM PST by JoeProBono
SOUTHAMPTON, England, - A British woman said surgeons saved her 7-year-old dog's life after he swallowed a foot-long string of Christmas fairy lights.
Sharon Fay, 45, of Southampton, England, said she became concerned when she spotted bits of wire sticking out of her mixed breed canine Charlie's droppings, The Mirror reported Tuesday.
"I hadn't even noticed that the lights had been chewed at this stage but it quickly became clear what had happened," Fay said. "Back in March he ate one of my scarves and needed an operation to remove it, but I thought it was just a one-off incident as he hadn't shown any signs that he was going to be a repeat offender. I've had dogs all my life and have never known a dog act like this before."
Veterinarians took an X-ray of Charlie's stomach and discovered a foot-long string of Christmas fairy lights and a shoelace.
Surgeons said the lights would have been fatal if not swiftly removed.
"A foreign body of this nature could easily have caused severe internal injuries so Charlie was very, very lucky. He was also fortunate that the glass didn't cut his mouth or throat. And he could have been electrocuted if he'd bitten through the wire when the lights were switched on," senior veterinary surgeon Sophie Bell said.
Fay said Charlie was recovering well from surgery and was back at home -- where she has taken precautions to keep him from eating other dangerous items.
Watching our son’s dog, a lab/pit/mutt mix. He brought the cage, said the dog had eaten some of their red round glass ornaments. My theory is that the dog thought they were toy balls for him. We moved some stuff around to block the lower front of the Christmas tree at our house, it sits in a corner, so I don’t think he’ll have a “visual” on the ornaments at his nose level. I don’t know if I have the heart to put him in the cage. The only thing he has ever messed with at our house was a shoe chewed up when he was very young, almost 3 years ago. And dragged some fleece fabric out of a bag once, I am sure he thought it must be a blanket for him. He has even ignored food (cereal, noodle packets) in a box on the dining room floor when my daughter was in the process of moving. I will be surprised and disappointed if he messes with the ornaments.
My Samoyed was one tough pup. He ate a six inch tall barrel cactus, followed by an old gym sock. What emerged out the other end looked like something from a science fiction movie! He survived unscathed, without veterinary intervention, but found his curiosity with respect to cacti completely satisfied.
No one asked about the lights. I’ll bet he _wrecked ‘em_...
Our oldest dog decided to chew on an electrical cord as a pup. Once.
That was all it took. Just once.
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