A vet has issued an urgent warning to pet owners after a 12-week-old puppy nearly died after ingesting a very common kitchen item.
After rooting around in the bin for Sunday roast leftovers, border collie Daisie took a bite out of a small piece of tinfoil and quickly became seriously ill.
The poor pooch was rushed to the local vet by frantic owner Megan Brooks, after exhibiting alarming symptoms, including a high temperature, accelerated heartbeat, and vomiting.
After other possibilities were ruled out, an ultrasound scan detected a problem in Daisie's intestine, and she was immediately taken in for surgery.
It was discovered that Daisie, from Worcester, was suffering from a "very serious" case of intussusception, a condition whereby the intestine folds in upon itself. This results in a dangerous blockage that stops food from making its way through the digestive system.
Vet Cian O'Connell told the Worcester Observer: "It is very painful and can be fatal if not caught early enough. Luckily Daisie's owner brought her to us as soon as she noticed her pet was ill and we were able to diagnose the problem quickly.
"In some cases, the affected part of the intestine needs to be removed, but luckily this wasn't necessary in Daisie's case, and I was able to carefully free the trapped tissue and straighten out the intestine."
During the operation, Cian found some specks of silver in Daisie's intestine, which turned out to be tinfoil. It's believed this is what led to her illness.
Cian continued: "It's really important to prevent dogs stealing food from bins or off kitchen surfaces or the dinner table because as well as causing irritations in the gut, many human foods are poisonous to them or can cause them to choke or form a blockage."
Due to the high sensitivity of intestine tissue, Daisie unfortunately became unwell again just a few days later, and had to return to Worcester Veterinary Hospital for a second operation.
Thankfully, Daisie is now said to be recovering well and is now safely back home with owner Megan, who will now be taking extra care to keep any leftovers out of paw's reach.
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