A dog had his life saved by vets after swallowing – a whole kitchen SPONGE and scourer.
Alfie beside a kitchen sponge similiar to the one he ate
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.”
PDSA vet nurse Caroline Watson with cheeky Alfie
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.”
