Dog nearly dies after X-ray reveals he swallowed entire rubber duck

Dog nearly dies after X-ray reveals he swallowed entire rubber duck Nine-year-old French Bulldog TJ left owners Libby and Joe Burgwin puzzled when he began showing mysterious symptoms - an X-ray revealed he had swallowed an entire rubber duck A dozy dog had its life saved by vets after swallowing an entire rubber duck. The nine-year-old French Bulldog called TJ was forced to have emergency surgery after wolfing down the yellow plastic toy - leaving it lodged in his oesophagus. TJ's worried owners had no idea their beloved pet had even swallowed the duck until a month later, when stunned vets spotted it on an X-ray. The 6cm (2.3ins) duck, which TJ has played with since being a puppy, was found to have halved in size by the time it was removed. Libby and Joe Burgwin rushed TJ to Severn Edge vets, in Telford, Shropshire, after the dog was sick multiple times and was struggling to breathe.Libby, 28, who works as a chief operating officer for a financial technology firm, said: "He has always been a fiend for stealing things that he shouldn't steal but there were a few weeks where he wasn't quite himself in July. "It may even have started in May or June. After dinner he has a dental chew, if you don't give it to him he will come and yap for them. "But in the last few months, when we gave them to him he would go and bury them or be defensive." At first, Libby and Joe thought something was wrong with their dog's teeth, but an initial trip to the vets showed no issues. TJ then began being sick in the mornings - something not out of the ordinary for French bulldogs - but worried couple decided to take him back to the vets when he vomited multiple times in one evening. Libby explained: "The vets said he had aspirational pneumonia where he's inhaled their own sick, which for Frenchies can be quite common because of their short nose. "They said something is going to be causing him to be sick this often. They wanted to do an X-ray and then an ultrasound. "We proceeded with the X-ray, they said don't expect a call for an hour. They said it would be a good few hundred quid. "Within five minutes of getting home they called, and then we panicked. In the very first X-ray you could see the duck so clearly. "The head vet called us and said 'We've done one X-ray, we don't need to do anymore, have you lost any rubber ducks? They said this was the weirdest thing they'd ever seen a dog swallow." The couple said they usually buy the 6cm x 6cm rubber ducks in packs of 12 for £12 on Amazon. When vets removed the duck during surgery, they discovered it had shrunk to just 3cm and had lost its iconic yellow coating. The whole procedure cost £3,500 to complete, but thankfully the couple are fully insured. Libby, from Telford, added: "Ever since he's been a puppy he's been obsessed with them. We buy packs of them, we play hide and seek. "We have no idea how he swallowed it or how he got it down, how we didn't notice it because he must have been in some pain. They said it was almost lucky it was so big because it couldn't move to his stomach. "They said it had been in there a few weeks, it was rock solid, shrunk and fully black - all the yellow had been stripped out of it. It's crazier that it didn't make him sicker, he was eating every day and going for walks, but there weren't any signs. "We were so shocked, I can't believe this hasn't happened before. He's always been a dog who steals and hide things, but he's never eaten anything like this. "He was only at the vets a few hours. We took him in at 11am, then 4pm we picked him up. Thankfully, the couple said TJ is "absolutely fine now", and was back to his "normal self" five days after the surgery.All the rubber ducks have been removed from the house, for now. Libby added: "Maybe I'll treat him to a big one one day. Me and Joe have kept one each as a memory of the event." Hannah Plant, head veterinary surgeon at Severn Edge Veterinary Group, said: "Curious dogs, particularly younger dogs and breeds that enjoy chewing, can sometimes ingest items that can become lodged in the stomach or intestines and cause serious health complications. "This case had a positive outcome thanks to the prompt action from the owners and rapid diagnosis by our veterinary team. We're delighted the dog recovered well. "Our advice to pet owners is to seek veterinary attention if they suspect their pet has swallowed something they shouldn't have. "Early intervention can make a significant difference to the outcome and helps ensure pets receive the care they need as quickly as possible."