What a dog's dinner! Labrador Barney swallows 93 pebbles on Sheerness Beach
An x-ray shows the
93 pebbles eaten by labrador Barney on Sheerness Beach
by Emma Grove
This incredible x-ray shows why a hungry hound had to have
an operation - after eating 93 pebbles during a stroll along
the beach.
Kim Woollard was visiting Sheerness Beach with her chocolate
labrador Barney who, unbeknown to her, had swallowed the
stones.
It was only that evening when the pooch became poorly and
started vomiting that she realised something was wrong.
Worried Kim took her three-year-old pet (pictured right) to a
veterinary surgery.
Vet Roger Bralow was shocked when an x-ray revealed the huge
amount of pebbles that had become lodged in the dog's stomach.
Mr Bralow, who has been a vet for 15 years, says he has never
seen anything like it.
"It was crazy how many stones were inside," he said. "It's not
unusual for dogs to eat a stone as they explore with their mouths
but it is unusual for them to keep going."
Mr Bralow believes Barney must have ingested all the stones in
one session as it would not have been possible for them to sit
inside his stomach for long.
"Barney had passed a stone so Kim was not surprised there were
some in there but she was shocked at the number," he added. "He's
fine now and doing really well."
If the stones had remained inside Barney, he would have
continued vomiting, become very dehydrated and could have died, Mr
Bralow said.
Dozens of
stones found inside Barney
It's a problem which staff at Well Pets in Sheerness are all too
familiar with, although they were shocked to hear Barney had eaten
quite so many pebbles.
Practice co-ordinator Ann Eve said they are often doing
operations to remove objects canines have picked up and estimates
they find stones inside pets around four times a year.
"People have a misconception of throwing stones for dogs to
fetch, but they pick them up and swallow them," she said.
"If they don't vomit them out they cause a blockage and have to
be surgically removed.
"The most we've ever removed is four – 93 is definitely the most
I've ever heard of."
Barney ate 93 pebbles on
Sheerness Beach
Ms Eve said in the past they have found fishhooks, rubber balls
and even a teddy bear’s head inside various dogs.
She reminded dog walkers to beware of their pets eating stones
and fishhooks when they are on the beach.
26/02/13
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