Surgery saves dog who ate rocks

Olivia said she has now got a muzzle for Barney to wear

A dog had to have life-saving surgery after he swallowed a number of rocks thinking they were doggie treats.

When Barney the springer spaniel began to make rattling noises his owners took him to the local vet where an X-ray revealed the rubble in his stomach.

Vets removed six golf ball-sized stones which Barney had scoffed while playing fetch with owner Olivia Parkinson, eight, in Solihull, West Midlands.

"Barney was very lucky indeed to live through this," said vet Natasha Bright.

"This was really unusual. Dogs will eat anything but the sheer amount of stones inside him shocked everyone here.

Barney was operated on after an X-ray showed pebbles in his belly Enlarge Image

"When your dog starts rattling you know something is seriously wrong."

Olivia, who lives in Balsall Common, said they believed Barney had eaten the rocks, as well as sticks and crabapples, while playing fetch during walks.

"We've had to give him a muzzle on walks to stop him doing it now.

"I'll only take it off when he has learnt his lesson because I don't want him poorly again."

Her father, Andrew Parkinson, 42, said: "Olivia heard the rattling first. She kept saying she could hear it but we never believed her.

He's a very lucky dog indeed Natasha Bright, vet

"But when I heard it myself I couldn't believe my ears. It almost sounded mechanical."

Olivia now keeps the rocks in a jar in her bedroom as a reminder.

But it was only her quick thinking that saved Barney's live, said Ms Bright.

"If it had gone on any longer, he could have died," said the vet from the Radford Veterinary Surgery.

"There is no way he could pass those stones. They were too big. It wouldn't have been long before he started throwing up and getting really sick.

"He's a very lucky dog indeed."