A dog in the U.K. underwent lifesaving surgery after it accidentally swallowed a 4-inch plastic spring while playing with a cat toy.
Rosie is a two-year-old Rottweiler dog from Dudley, England, who was playing with a cat toy at home when she swallowed part of the toy, SWNS reported.
Owner Claire McConnell took Rosie to the vet after noticing she seemed lethargic.
Blacks Vets clinical director Brian Hogan said Rosie had a high temperature upon arrival — and noted that x-rays were taken in order to see what might be causing the pup's sluggishness.
"When we discussed it with the owner, she remembered that her cat was playing with a toy four weeks earlier and Rosie appeared to grab and swallow it," Hogan said to SWNS.
Owner McConnell knew exactly what that object might be.
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"I knew instantly what it was when the vet called me to say a foreign body had been found in her stomach," she said.
The object needed to be removed as quickly as possible, as the spring was plastic and could damage the dog's esophagus, Hogan said.
"We hoped to retrieve it using an endoscope without causing significant trauma," he told SWNS.
"If that failed, she would have required surgery to remove the spring."
"The challenge was that the tool designed to grip and remove the spring must fit through a very narrow channel within the endoscope and is, therefore, quite delicate," Hogan said.
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The team of workers at Blacks Vets worked slowly and carefully to remove the item, Hogan noted.
Just 15 minutes later, the spring was removed from the ailing dog — and she did not require surgery, said SWNS.
McConnell is grateful the procedure went well, telling SWNS that Rosie is doing much better now.
"She was looked after very well by all the staff … [She's now] back to her lovable, bouncy, crazy self," she added.
