Vet's urgent beach warning to dog owners as pet hospitalised

Denver - who likes chewing the cardboard from loo rolls - had a brush with disaster when he wolfed down fish bones he scavenged at the beach.

Adorable sprocker spaniel Denver swallowed the sharp bones when his owner Samantha Wilkie had her back turned for just a couple of seconds.

The bones lodged in his tummy and wouldn’t budge – leaving food-obsessed Denver, who has had a string of mishaps, at risk of a perforated colon and toxic shock.

Denver gave his owner Samantha a scare when he was rushed to hospital following a trip to the beach (Image: Vets Now)

He was rushed to Vets Now, who put Denver on a drip to stop him getting dehydrated.

They administered laxatives to get his bowel to move – but the bones were lodged tight, leaving five-and-a-half-year-old Denver increasingly anxious and distressed.

Then Denver was sedated and given stronger laxatives – which finally succeeded in clearing his clogged intestines of a large amount of fish vertebrae.

Warning to dog owners at the beach

Emergency Vet Dave Leicester, head of telehealth at Vets Now, says this is a reminder for pet owners to be aware of the potential hazards when taking dogs to beaches this summer.

Vet nurse at Vets Now Worthing, Amy Webster, said: “Denver was very brave, and our team were able to unblock him without sedation. We’re delighted he’s made a full recovery and is back to his normal self. Samantha did absolutely the right thing bringing him and was incredibly patient, understanding and calm throughout the whole procedure. Clogged intestines can have really serious and – sometimes – fatal consequences for a dog."

“Fish bones can be particularly sharp – much shaper, for example, than a cattle bone - and that leads to a much higher risk of essential organs being punctured.”