A dog had his life saved by vets after swallowing – a whole kitchen SPONGE and scourer.
Little Alfie, a 20 month old Shih Tzu, was keeping his owner Maria Bird, 53, company as she cleaned the bathroom.
He grabbed a clean sponge from the packet and swallowed it whole.
The tiny pooch seemed fine but concerned owner Maria knew it could cause him some serious harm.
She said: “Alfie has always been a mischief-maker but I was astounded when he wolfed down the sponge in one go.
“He seemed absolutely fine but I knew he could be in deep trouble. I rushed him straight to PDSA where vets checked him over.”
Vet Nurse Caroline Watson was on duty at PDSA’s Gateshead Pet Hospital and witnessed little Alfie’s recovery.
She commented: “We gave Alfie an injection to make him sick and thankfully, the medicine worked its magic quickly.
“Thanks to the speedy actions of Maria, Alfie avoided a far worse fate, as when pets swallow foreign bodies, they can cause tears or fatal blockages in the digestive system.
“We were amazed that such a small dog managed to swallow a sponge of that size – it can’t have been very pleasant going down or coming back up again.”
