Puppy survives after swallowing a four-and-a-half-inch lolly stick

A puppy survived after swallowing a four-and-a-half-inch lolly stick, vets have said.

Lady, a 15-month-old shih tzu, fell ill after eating the wooden stick but was saved after owner Sarah Anderson rushed her to a vet.

Ms Anderson, 26, from Openshaw, Manchester, said: “I noticed she had started sitting in a funny position, with her body slightly twisted. Then she went off her food and squealed when we picked her up.

“We couldn't believe it when they told us they'd found a whole lolly stick inside her. We've no idea where she got it from, or how and when she ate it. It's a complete mystery, but we're just glad to have her home safe again.”

Ms Anderson added her six-year-old daughter Ellie was “so upset” when Lady became ill earlier this month

“Ellie is delighted to have her playmate back and they were back running around together in no time,” she said.

James Fairs, a vet at the PDSA PetAid hospital in Old Trafford, said: “We were all quite shocked when we pulled an entire lolly stick out of her intestines.

“We cannot be sure when Lady swallowed the lolly stick, but if it had been left untreated it could have pierced her intestines, causing potentially fatal peritonitis so Lady is a very lucky girl.”

PA