Drama of the dog who ate a carpet

The four-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier left vets floored – after they discovered the carpet lodged in his stomach.

Curious canine Buster had to undergo life-saving surgery after being rushed to the vets by owner, Jamie-Leigh Richardson from Preston.

Jamie-Leigh suspected something was wrong when the usually playful pooch seemed weak and went off his food and when his condition didn’t improve, she took him to Blackpool PDSA Pet Hospital.

The charity’s vets were surprised when X-rays revealed such a big mass in his tummy.

After rushing him into surgery to remove the potentially fatal object, they discovered it was a piece of carpet which was lodged in his stomach and guts.

Jamie-Leigh, 23, said: “Buster is usually full of beans so I was really worried when he wasn’t acting himself. Instead of running around the house and playing with the children, he was out of sorts and down in the dumps.

“Buster has a big appetite, but I was so shocked when the vet showed us the piece of carpet following surgery.”

Left untreated, the carpet could have caused a fatal blockage or tears in the guts.

PDSA Vet Jennifer Jackson was able to carry out the successful operation and Buster was discharged a few days later after rest and recovery.

She Jackson said: “We see dogs that eat strange things all the time, but I can’t say I have ever had to remove a piece of carpet before.

“Objects can sometimes sit in the stomach for a while, but they cause problems when they move into the guts, which are much narrower. It was a good job Jamie-Leigh brought Buster in when she did. He’d eaten huge amounts of carpet which could have had deadly consequences if any more had tried to move into his guts.”

Jamie-Leigh added: “Buster is such a big part of the family, and none of us could bear to lose him. He has made a great recovery and is back to his energetic best. This was my first experience with PDSA and I cannot praise Jennifer and the rest of the team enough, they are worth their weight in gold.”