A Labrador puppy named Theodore has managed to narrowly avoid having major surgery after sneakily swallowing a teaspoon when his owner's back was turned.
Bridge Veterinary Practice LTD in Wroxham had their work cut out for them, when four month old Theodore was brought in after he stole and swallowed a 14cm long teaspoon from his owner's kitchen.
The young pup underwent an X-ray before Bridge Vets Director, David Martin, took action and anaesthetised the dog so that a gastroscope could be passed down through his mouth to retrieve the spoon in his stomach.
Mr Martin said: 'At Bridge Vets we often see pets that owners believe have swallowed something they shouldn't have. Often the things they swallow will pass through without causing any problems; however this is not always the case.
'Quite how Theodore managed to swallow the spoon is beyond belief! As you can see from the pictures, there was no way he was going to pass it through all the loops of his bowel, and to leave it was not an option. It took a while to find the spoon as Theo had just eaten, but eventually it was found and we carefully manoeuvred it out.'
He added: 'Theo was up and as lively as before within 30 minutes of the procedure - far quicker than he would have been with surgery.'
• Do you have an interesting animal story? Email courtney.pochin@archant.co.uk
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