(December 2017) Oklahoma: Veterinarian removes 21 baby pacifiers from Shar Pei’s stomach

OKLAHOMA -- A veterinarian in Oklahoma has quite a tale to tell after removing 21 pacifiers from a dog's stomach.

The veterinarian at Gentle Care Animal Hospital said he had to share the story because "this was the most fascinating and exciting surgery I have ever done..."

A local couple recently had a baby and were wondering what was happening to all of their child's pacifiers.

One day, the child's grandmother saw the dog, Lovey Dovey, jump up on the counter and take off with one.

The couple told the veterinarian that Dovey had slowed down her eating and had been vomiting a little phlegm for a few days, but other than that, they said the dog seemed fine and that they hadn't noticed any other changes.

When Dovey vomited up a pacifier one day, the couple decided it was time to take the dog in for an x-ray, according to the hospital's Facebook post.

 

Judging from the x-ray, the local veterinarian believed there were between 7 to 9 pacifiers in the dog's stomach.

However, during surgery, the veterinarian found 21 pacifiers in the dog's stomach!

Fortunately, Dovey is doing great and gets to go home today, the veterinarian told KFOR.

"Dog’s will eat anything, anytime and at any age so always be watching!!!" the veterinarian posted to Facebook.

 

 

So fair warning, some people may find the following series of photos disturbing!! I have to show them for two reasons, first, this was the most fascinating and exciting surgery I have ever done or my staff has ever been a part of. We love Dovey, and she is doing GREAT post op. Dr. Dad (who incidentally sutured my forehead together last year when the leaf blower fell off the shelf in the garage onto my face!!!) and Mom recently had their second beautiful child but were having a missing binkie dilemma, then grandma saw Dovey jump up on a counter and take off with one. She recently had slowed down her eating and vomited a little phlegm for a few days but other than that was acting fine. When she vomited up a binkie, plus the story from grandma, dad brought her in for an x-ray. You can see the binkie’s stacked up in the stomach, we counted 7-9. Well......by the end of surgery we had pulled 21 out of her stomach. That is the second, and most important, reason I am sharing these photo’s. Dog’s will eat anything, anytime and at any age so always be watching!!! Thank Dr Dad and Mom for letting me share this with clients!!

 

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(Fox5 San Diego - December 11, 2017)

Related:

• Virginia: A Virginia Beach dog ate 7 corn cobs, and they nearly took her life — until a charity stepped in
• United Kingdom: Malamute rushed to vet's office after eating box of chocolates. Then they find out he's also got FIVE dog toys in tummy
• Oregon: Vet removes 43-1/2 socks from Great Dane's stomach
• United Kindgom: Labrador puppy Gypsy undergoes emergency surgery after X-ray revealed she had swallowed piece of cutlery
• United Kingdom: Pit Bull puppy swallows EIGHT INCH kitchen knife - and survives life saving surgery
• United Kingdom: Family's Chocolate Labrador has to have 79 stones removed from his stomach after eating them during walk on the beach

Oregon: Michael Lynch, 76, accused of poisoning neighbor’s dogs faces 64-count indictment

OREGON -- A northeast Portland man accused of poisoning his neighbor’s dogs with a ricin-like toxin is now facing charges including aggravated animal abuse and attempted aggravated animal abuse.

A grand jury issued a 64-count indictment against 76-year-old Michael Joseph Lynch on Monday.

Lynch was initially arrested in May.

Schmidtke said he came home one day in March 2016 to a “vile” message on his answering machine.

“[Lynch] said that he was not going to tolerate this and that I would lose these dogs and he would see to it,” Schmidtke said. 

"I was having a cup of coffee on my patio and I saw him throw poisoned meat into my yard four different times.”

Schmidtke said his dogs, named Bandit and Snowflake were vomiting, unable to move and seriously ill. Luckily, they both survived.

 

 

Court documents state toxins were found in the dogs’ stomachs by a veterinarian. Court documents also stated what deputies discovered in Lynch’s home.

Investigators wrote that they found castor seeds, from which ricin can be derived, along with wrapped meat in a green liquid, a jar marked “botulism poison” and lists of poisons along with calendars noting “use slingshot to shoot meat over bushes,” the dates the dogs were barking and the dates Lynch “threw meat over the bushes.”

Deputies said when they arrived with a search warrant, Lynch told them he was armed and reached for his waistband. Deputies recovered a gun that was concealed in Lynch’s waistband and said he did not have a concealed weapons permit.

When contacted by FOX 12 in May, Lynch said, “I didn’t do anything to his dogs.”

Monday’s indictment alleges Lynch intentionally attempted to “maliciously kill” and “torture” the dogs.

Along with the animal abuse charges, Lynch was also indicted on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a loaded firearm in public and recklessly endangering another person.

An arraignment date on the new charges was not immediately scheduled.

 

 

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: Michael Joseph Lynch
Gender: Male
Race: White
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 230 lbs
Hair Color: Gray
Eye Color: Brown
Arrest Age: 76
Date: 07/17/2017
Time: 1:07 PM
Charges:
#1 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#2 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#3 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#4 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#5 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#6 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#7 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#8 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#9 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#10 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#11 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#12 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#13 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#14 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#15 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#16 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#17 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#18 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#19 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#20 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#21 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#22 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#23 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#24 AGGRAVATED ANIMAL ABUSE 1
#25 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#26 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#27 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#28 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#29 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#30 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#31 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#32 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#33 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#34 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#35 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#36 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#37 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#38 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#39 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#40 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#41 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#42 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#43 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#44 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#45 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#46 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#47 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#48 ANIMAL ABUSE I MISDEMEANOR
#49 ANIMAL ABUSE II
#50 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#51 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#52 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#53 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#54 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#55 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#56 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#57 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#58 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#59 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#60 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#61 RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT
#62 UNLAWFUL POSSESSION FIREARM
#63 UNLAWFUL POSSESSION FIREARM

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

 

(KPTV - July 11, 2017)

Earlier:

• Oregon: Michael Lynch, 76, accused of poisoning neighbor’s dogs with deadly ricin-like toxin

Oregon: Michael Lynch, 76, accused of poisoning neighbor’s dogs with deadly ricin-like toxin

OREGON -- A Northeast Portland man is facing several animal abuse charges, accused of poisoning his neighbor’s dogs with a ricin-like toxin.

Richard Schmidtke said his two dogs survived - but barely.

Michael Lynch, 76, made his first appearance Thursday morning on charges of first-degree attempted aggravated animal abuse, two counts of first-degree attempted animal abuse, second-degree animal abuse and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Lynch told Fox 12 by phone Thursday afternoon he was innocent.

But investigators said in court records that Lynch was frustrated over Schmidtke’s barking dogs and called animal control a number of times.

When Animal Control officers failed to find Schmidtke's dogs in violation of the noise ordinance, records show Lynch warned them he would “handle it on his own.”

Schmidtke said he came home one day in March 2016 to a “vile” message on his answering machine.

“[Lynch] said that he was not going to tolerate this and that I would lose these dogs and he would see to it,” Schmidtke said. 

"I was having a cup of coffee on my patio and I saw him throw poisoned meat into my yard four different times.”

Schmidtke said his dogs were vomiting, unable to move and seriously ill.

In court records, the prosecuting district attorney described reports from veterinarians who tested the dogs’ stomach contents and the pieces of meat and wrote they “found a principal component of castor oil and ricinine and [the veterinarian] explains that castor oil acts as a laxative but can be poisonous in large amounts and ingestion of ricinine can cause death and her report also notes that there may be ricin which can kill adult humans in very small quantities.”

Court records also show that when deputies arrived to serve a search warrant at Lynch’s home, Lynch approached them, admitted he was armed and “reached for his waistband.”

Deputies recovered a gun that had been concealed in his waistband but noted Lynch did not have a concealed weapons permit.

Once inside his home, investigators wrote that they found:

• castor seeds, from which ricin can be derived
• wrapped meat in a green liquid
• a jar marked “botulism poison”
• lists of poisons
• calendars noting “use slingshot to shoot meat over bushes,” the dates the dogs were barking and the dates Lynch “threw meat over the bushes.”

 

“I think the man is [mentally] sick,” Schmidtke said. “That’s my guess.”

Schmidtke is now filing a civil suit against his neighbor as well, seeking $400,000 in damages.

Lynch bailed out of jail and is back home pending his court case.

He told Fox 12 by phone "I didn't do anything to his dogs," and when asked about the ricin-like toxin found in the dog's stomach, he claimed, "I don't know nothing about that."

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(KPTV -May 11, 2017)

Wisconsin: Police searching for the person who is placing hot dogs laced with nails around apartment complex

WISCONSIN -- A Sauk County 3-year-old Yorkie-mix is lucky to be alive after eating hot dogs, stuffed with nails.

'She's quite the handful but the greatest little puppy," Her dog-dad Tom Deakin said about 'Clarice.'

Monday morning, little Clarice took a few big bites of hot dog pieces she found littered on the ground of Canyon Pointe Apartments in Lake Delton.

'Thought it was kind of odd, in the back of my mind, I thought someone was trying to poison the dogs." Deakin said.

A short time later, Canyon Pointe Apartments issued a warning to property owners about 'food with nails' being found in common areas and staircases.

"If the allegations are true and that was the intent of what the person responsible was doing, I think it's horrible."  Lake Delton Police Lieutenant Bill Laughlin said.

He says he can't comment more on the pending investigation, but does say his detectives are speaking with a person of interest.

Hill-Dale Veterinary Hospital's Dr. Sam Steinich discovered six nails unable to pass through the ten pound pet.  She performed an emergency surgery on Clarice, Tuesday night.

"It just breaks our heart, we are shocked," Dr. Steinich said.  "It's so tough, I think the best advice is being conscientious of who or what is near your animal," she added.

Deakin agrees with Dr. Steinich.

He says he'll keep a closer eye on Clarice.

"No more hot dogs, that's for sure!" He said.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with vet bills:

Help Clarice
Created April 25, 2017 by jennifer ramos

Well to start off I recently moved from Milwaukee,Wisconsin to the Baraboo area for a job. Along with me on the move to baraboo were my two dogs, booker and clarice. Booker is a 9 year old Boston Terrier who has overcame challenging health issues. Clarice is a 4 year old Yorkie Terrier Mix who I adopted about one year ago from the Milwaukee Humane Society. Clarice is a very friendly and playful dog who can always put a smile on your face.

On 4/25/17 I received a call from management of the Canyon Pointe Apartments I live at. This call was to inform me that someone has placed small cut up pieces of hot dogs through the hallway of my building and outside grassy area. Inside these hot dog pieces were about 3-5 small finishing nails!!! Upon hearing this it immediately alerted me.

As I was letting my dogs out earlier that day I noticed my Yorkie (Clarice) eat 3 of the small hot dog pieces before I pulled her away. I didn't think much of the hot dogs and figured they fell out of someone's garbage or dropped by a small kids. I spoke with several other people who live in the same building as me and came to a conclusion that this incident was done on purpose to target dogs at the apartment.

I then took Clarice to the vet for an Xray which revealed 6 nails stuck inside her stomach and 1 somehow luckily on its way out. The option to leave then in her stomach and hope for a safe exit is too risky due to the sharp nails possibly puncturing holes inside her body. Surgery is the only reasonable option.

A police report was files regarding this incident.

My animals are like my children and I'd appreciate any donation or help.

Also thanks to Hill-Dale Veterinary Hospital for all their help with his horrible situation.

Update 1
These were the size of the nails inside her

Update 2
Post surgery all nails out! She was still drowsy from anaesthesia and now taken to Middleton vet for overnight monitoring.

Update 3
Clarice's first night back home. She's very scared and sad that she has to be restricted from playing until she heals. Thank you for all ur prayers and donations!!

(WKOW - April 26, 2017)

Canada: Someone is tossing pizza slices filled with sewing needles in popular Vancouver park

CANADA -- Dog owners are being warned to keep a close eye on their pets after a disturbing discovery at a popular Vancouver park.

Dogs have found and eaten abandoned pieces of pizza stuffed with sewing needles in an off-leash area of Strathcona Park twice in the past few weeks.

In one case, an owner noticed her dog had a piece of food in his mouth, and saw a string hanging out of his mouth as he was about to swallow.

"I pulled it out and it was a bundled up piece of pizza that had been sewn together," DJ Larkin told CTV News.

She threw it out, thinking it was strange but hoping it was an isolated incident, but when she heard another dog was injured in a similar incident, she felt compelled to come forward.

The other dog swallowed the ball of pizza, which had several needles in it, and needed surgery to remove one from its throat.

The incidents have been reported to the City of Vancouver, and officials say they're investigating. Larkin said she's also been in touch with the BC SPCA.

"It's so upsetting because it's a really popular park for East Van dog owners, and I can't imagine any reason to do that except to intentionally injure an animal," she said.

Larkin said she's never had any other experiences with strange things found in the park, but said she'd heard reports of people finding rat poison left out in the area.

The dog owner says she no longer feels comfortable bringing her dog to the park, and others who were at the grounds on Friday said they're keeping a close eye on their animals.

(CTV News - April 21, 2017)

United Kingdom: Pit Bull puppy swallows EIGHT INCH kitchen knife - and survives life saving surgery

UNITED KINGDOM -- A puppy is recovering from life-saving emergency surgery after she swallowed an eight-inch long kitchen knife.

X-rays reveal the blade stuck inside 12-week-old Staffordshire Pit Bull Terrier Macie.

Her owner, Irene Paisley, 46, thought Macie had just swallowed a toy when the she started squeaking and choking.

But Irene luckily rushed her pet to an emergency out-of-hours vet service where the kitchen knife was discovered.

Irene, from Glasgow, said: “Macie was making a squeaking sound - I thought she’d swallowed part of a toy. Then she was sick, but there was no sign of a toy and she started choking.”

Having lost her previous dog to cancer just two months earlier, Irene feared the worst.

She said: “I was terrified. Poor Macie was still choking and, by the time we arrived at the vet’s, there was blood coming out of her nose. The loss of our previous dog was still very raw and the thought of losing Macie was devastating.”

The young puppy was admitted, and x-rays immediately revealed the severity of the situation.

The knife handle had passed through Macie’s stomach and into her intestines, while the tip of the knife was still in her gullet.

She underwent emergency surgery to remove the knife.

Irene added: “I couldn’t believe it when they said Macie had swallowed a knife. I have no idea where she got hold of it.

“She could have pinched it out of the dishwasher, but no-one saw what happened. None of us could sleep that night as we knew Macie might not survive.”

But the operation was a success and the following morning Macie was transferred to the PDSA Pet Hospital in Shamrock Street, where her recovery began.

(Mirror UK - Jan 17, 2017)

Virginia: A Virginia Beach dog ate 7 corn cobs, and they nearly took her life — until a charity stepped in

VIRGINIA -- Roxie the boxer has been known to eat strange things.

Last year, the dog’s owner rushed her to the animal hospital after she ate a pack of cigarettes. Then there was the time that she ripped up a water snake after it bit her several times.

On Saturday, Roxie got into the trash.

Her find this time? Seven corn cob halves from the previous night’s dinner.

Several hours later, the dog began throwing up. She continued vomiting Sunday and Monday, expelling six cobs in all, said owner Dakota Hudson, who lives in Sandbridge.

By Tuesday morning, Roxie was sluggish and refused to eat. That’s when Hudson took her to the hospital.

“They told us they were going to do X-rays and blood work,” she said. “When they called us back, they said the corn cob was as clear as day on the X-ray and that they would have to do surgery to get it out.”

The next big shock came when Hudson learned how much it would cost: $5,000 – more than the 21-year-old or her family could afford to pay.

“I started bawling,” Hudson said. “It got to the point where I was considering euthanizing her because I didn’t want her to be in pain and suffering.”

Just as Hudson was preparing to sign an authorization to euthanize Roxie, veterinarian Beth Tynan told Hudson that the surgery would be performed at no charge to her.

Tynan had contacted Frankie’s Friends, a national pet charity that helps raise money for animals in situations like Roxie’s, and the organization agreed to help. Within less than 24 hours, the entire amount had been raised.

“The surgeon fell in love with her and said, ‘We can’t let a dog like her go. We have to do something,’ ” Hudson said. “That meant the world to me.”

The 8-year-old purebred was recovering Wednesday morning and should be able to return home soon, said Carrie O’Brion, communications manager for BluePearl Veterinary Partners, a national company with 50 emergency and specialty veterinary care centers in 18 states. Roxie was treated at the company’s location on Independence Boulevard.

Roxie’s is not the first corn-cob case vets at the animal hospital have seen, nor was it the strangest thing they had discovered a dog had eaten, O’Brion said.

“Dr. Tynan said she’s seen quite a few corn-cob cases this summer,” she said. Bathing suits, hair ties, a spoon and a plastic figurine of the “Star Wars” character Boba Fett are among some of the more unusual items BluePearl vets have found in dogs, O’Brion said.

“In some cases, we can use endoscopy to get things out, which is a lot less invasive and a lot less expensive,” she said.

Hudson said she and her family will be keeping a closer eye on what Roxie and her brother, Quigley, get into, but it’s not going to be easy.

“Her mind is controlled by food,” Hudson said. “If you’re eating something, she is in your face trying to get it.”

(The Virginian-Pilot - Sep 21, 2016)

United Kingdom: Malamute rushed to vet's office after eating box of chocolates. Then they find out he's also got FIVE dog toys in tummy

UNITED KINGDOM -- Wolfing down an entire box of chocolates is enough to make anyone feel a little full.

But for Booster the dog, who was rushed to the vet after eating a tin of Quality Street with the wrappers still on, the binge was just the start of his discomfort.

For once taking a peek at the Alaskan Malamute's stomach, vets were shocked to discover the animal had also eaten five rubber toys.

It came after his owners Jackie and Guy Kelly from Plymouth, Devon, found the dog severely bloated and writhing in pain after eating the chocolates that had been left over from Christmas.

'We came downstairs one morning and he was the size of a cow,' said Mr Kelly, a builder.

'He was really bloated and didn't look well - we could see he had eaten a 750g tin of Quality Street so we took him to the vets.'

After spending two days in vets' care, Booster was sent home but still seemed to be in pain.

When Mr Kelly returned to weeks later, an X-ray revealed the pet had swallowed five rubber balls that were lodged in his stomach.

'He takes them off other dogs in the park and tends to chew them up, so we try to keep him away from balls,' Mr Kelly, 55, said.

'But we never thought he would eat one, let alone five.'

Adam Coulson, of Plymouth Veterinary Hospital where Booster was treated, said the dog's pain came after gases from the chocolates stopped his blood flow.

'His immediate problem was that all of the gas blowing up his stomach was preventing blood from flowing back to his heart, and so his circulation was failing.'

It was only weeks later Mr Coulson discovered the toys lurking in his stomach.

'X-rays showed some very strange shadows in his abdomen and exploratory surgery yielded two balls and three toys from his now slightly sagging stomach.

'However, not a Quality Street in sight.

'Booster has recovered from his surgery with further care at the hospital and on examination this week has returned to his old, noisy and slightly cantankerous self.

'We still don't know where the toys came from and how long they had been inside his stomach.

'They only seemed to cause him a problem after his chocolate eating antics. We are hoping for no repeat performances and are very glad that Mr Kelly had him insured for all of his life saving treatment.'

(Daily Mail - January 18th 2015)

Oregon: Vet removes 43-1/2 socks from Great Dane's stomach

OREGON -- The abyss of the washing machine usually gets blamed for missing socks, but one Oregon family discovered that the dog literally ate theirs.

Doctors learned that the 3-year-old male Great Dane had swallowed 43-and-a-half socks after its owners brought him into a local veterinarian office with symptoms of vomiting and retching.

An X-ray conducted at the DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland discovered the dog’s stomach held a “large quantity of foreign material,” according to the trade publication Veterinary Practice News, which hosts an annual X-ray contest, aptly entitled, “They Ate What.“

The nearly 44 socks inside the Great Dane’s stomach were enough to merit DoveLewis a third-place win in this year’s “They Ate What” contest, coming in behind a frog that ate ornamental rocks and a dog that ate a shish kabob skewer.

In the Great Dane’s case, all 43-and-a-half socks were successfully removed from his stomach in a nearly three-hour surgery conducted by Dr. Ashley Magee.

"She said, 'I just kept pulling out sock after sock after sock,'" DoveLewis spokeswoman Shawna Harch told ABC News of Magee. "She was definitely surprised."

The dog’s surgery occurred in February but was made public last week when the trade publication announced its 2014 X-ray contest winners.

DoveLewis was awarded a $500 prize, which the nonprofit hospital plans to put toward its Velvet Assistance Fund that helps low-income families with their veterinarian needs, Harch said.

The Great Dane was discharged from DoveLewis the day after the surgery and is back home with its owners, who declined to be identified.

The family did send photos of the now-healthy dog to Harch today, who shared them with ABC News.

(Good Morning America - Sept 4, 2014)

United Kindgom: Labrador puppy Gypsy undergoes emergency surgery after X-ray revealed she had swallowed piece of cutlery

UNITED KINGDOM -- She’s only seven months old, so naturally Gypsy the Labrador still has plenty of life lessons to learn.

First up? The difference between food and a spoon, as the astonishing X-ray image on the left shows.

Gypsy had to have life-saving emergency surgery after swallowing a spoon her owner, Diane Harman, had left on the kitchen worktop while she went upstairs.

'The pot in which I kept all the teabags had been tipped over, so I thought at first she had eaten a teabag,' said Ms Harman.

'It was then I noticed the spoon was missing from the pot. I do get the odd senior moments, but I knew it was in there before.

'I looked everywhere for it, under the bed, in the dish washing bowl, outside and in Gypsy’s bed.
'Gypsy seemed fine, but I began to wonder whether she could have swallowed it.'

Ms Harman was due to take another one of her six dogs to the vet so decided to bring Gypsy along for a once-over.

After seeing the spoon in Gypsy's stomach during an X-ray, vets quickly rushed the puppy off for an emergency operation.

'The vet joked he had heard of the saying 'born with a silver spoon in their mouth' but not going the other way,' said Ms Harman.

'She needed an emergency operation, as it could have ended in serious problems. There was a risk of infection. At the time, you do have horror thoughts through your head, but I did trust the vets.'

Vet David Robinson who performed the procedure added: 'The spoon had worked its way through her stomach and into her intestines. If we had not operated straight away, there would have been a high risk of it perforating the intestine, which could have been fatal.

'We’ve taken all kinds of foreign objects out of dogs, but this is the first time we have had to remove a piece of cutlery.'

According to her owner, Gypsy is prone to bringing strange objects in from the garden.

'You never know what she is going to bring in when she comes through the dog flap. To be honest, there isn’t much more I can do to stop her getting things, apart from hanging items off hooks off the ceiling. I try to push things to the back, so she can’t get to them.'

Since having surgery Gypsy has made a full recovery and is 'full of beans' again.

(Daily Mail - Dec 30, 2013)