Dog nearly dies after eating face mask

Cocker spaniel puppy Ralph ended up with blocked intestines, which caused him to be sick

One-year-old cocker spaniel Ralph recovering from his brush with death after swallowing a face mask (PDSA)

A cocker spaniel puppy nearly died after eating a face mask, a leading vet charity has warned.  

One-year-old Ralph, from Liverpool, needed emergency surgery to remove the piece of material after it blocked his intestines, causing him to be sick.  

Owner Julie Veidman first noticed something was wrong when her dog struggled to keep water down and refused his favourite treat.  

After a PDSA vet heard Ralph’s list of symptoms, she was advised to take him straight to the charity’s pet hospital in Huyton — where vets were “shocked” when they removed the mask.  

Ms Veidman said: “We think he must’ve stolen it from my daughter’s bag in the night.  

The face mask Ralph swallowed (PDSA)

An X-ray showing gas build up (within green circle) inside Ralph and the suspected face mask (shown by red arrow) (PDSA)

“He always had a liking for socks and sometimes knickers too, so we always keep things like that well away from him. We never thought he’d actually eat a facemask.”  

PDSA vet Lizzie Whitton said her team examined Ralph and could feel something in his tummy before an X-ray confirmed there was some kind of blockage in his intestines.  

The vet said: “Any type of surgery carries risk, and intestinal procedures can come with additional complications, but thankfully Ralph’s operation went very well. However, we were all shocked when we removed a face mask from inside him.”  

Ralph has now fully recovered (PDSA)

Ms Veidman turned to the PDSA for help after she stopped her work as a sales assistant earlier this year because of the abuse she was receiving from customers.  

“I was really struggling and had to leave,” she said. “I don’t have any income right now — without PDSA we would’ve lost Ralph. He’s been my absolute rock through lockdown, I don’t know what we would’ve done without him.”  

She added: “PDSA were amazing, they were so quick to respond and so caring, they have literally saved his life.  

Ralph recovering at home (PDSA)

“We were able to take him home soon afterwards, he needed some tablets for pain relief and plenty of TLC and, although he had a little blip in the middle of his recovery as he refused to rest, two weeks later he’s completely recovered.”  

Ms Veidman said she was concerned about the threat face masks currently pose to dogs given their widespread use during the coronavirus pandemic.

“It worries me as you see masks discarded all over the place right now, and Ralph is living proof that dogs might eat them and suffer serious consequences,” she said.  

PDSA, The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals, said it had seen a surge in demand for its services since the first lockdown earlier this year, as many people have found themselves facing financial difficulties.