A Labrador puppy narrowly cheated death when it swallowed a large STICK while playing fetch.
One-year-old Corona was bounding through the woods with her owners when the freak accident happened.
She snatched the cigar-shaped stick in its jaws but unbeknown to her owners Pauline and Pete Cook, she wolfed it down.
The couple, both 59, became concerned when they took Corona home and she threw up later that night.
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They rushed her to a local vets who sent her to Paragon Veterinary Referrals, in Wakefield, West Yorks., following the incident last month.
A CT scan revealed the stick had punctured her oesophagus.
She was immediately operated on by vet Mickey Tivers who removed the stick by cutting into the dog's chest.
"If the stick lands at the right angle, dogs can easily impale themselves and fragments of stick can remain in the neck which can lead to abscesses forming weeks or even months later.
"Our advice would be never to throw sticks for your dog as there is a real risk of injury.
"We would encourage owners to throw balls or other toys, or rubber sticks, which make an excellent alternative to their dangerous wooden counterparts."
Pauline said she heard a "horrific noise" come from Corona but couldn't find anything wrong with her, until she was sick later that night.
She said: "We saw blood in her vomit, so they took her to Blue Cross in Grimsby where
X-rays found evidence of the injury, which required the immediate referral to Paragon.
"Mickey is the most impressive vet I have ever met. He has so much compassion and so much pride in what he does.
"After we left Corona with him, I just felt so much better.
"She was at Paragon for eight days and he was in touch with us night and day, letting us know what was happening and how she was doing.
"We can't put into words how grateful we are to him for saving Corona's life.
"She has recovered so well. She has probably calmed down a little bit after her op, as she was very, very lively before, but she is still running around after balls and stealing socks.
"We're just overjoyed to have her back. We were heartbroken when we thought we might lose her.
"We will never throw a stick for her again."
