When you have a dog, all you want is its happiness. They are offered toys to have fun and spend some energy. But, even with the best of intentions, we can put the life of our faithful companion in danger with one of these toys.

Margaret Hewett, Scout's teacher, experienced this when her dog, who was playing with a rope and a ball and had the ball stuck in its throat...

“The day it happened everything seemed fine. We were just back from a walk and Scout was playing with the ball in Les’s back garden like he had hundreds of times before. Suddenly he started retching and we could see that he was in real distress. The toy was no longer in sight and Les was sure he must have swallowed it.

I tried to look into Scout’s mouth, but he was so upset he wouldn’t let me. We knew we needed a vet quickly but it was a Sunday and a lot of places were closed.

To our huge relief Vets Now were open and the staff were brilliant — and very reassuring which is just what we needed." said Hewett. 

Here's a video that shows the toy stuck in Scout's throat and the poor dog struggling to breathe in enough air. Fortunately, the staff at the animal emergency clinic could quickly see the seriousness of Scout's situation and they immediately started to work removing the toy.

The five-year-old pooch was sedated so vets could do a thorough examination. It was given an anesthetic so the team could remove the toy without hurting ot.

Vet Sarah Douglass was able to use a small pair of forceps to gently remove the ball. Scout's larynx was then put back in place, and Sarah was delighted to find that there was no damage other than slight inflammation.

Due to the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus, Margaret had to wait outside the clinic in her car. However, the vet made sure to give her regular updates on Scout's progress. Margaret was so happy to hear that the ball had been removed and her dog was breathing well.

“The ball was part of a rope toy and the hole Scout breathed through was where the rope used to be.  As a dog owner and dog lover you just would never know that an innocent-looking toy like that could be so dangerous. We’ve had a very lucky escape and Scout definitely won’t ever be playing with anything smaller than a tennis ball again.” said the teacher. 

A decision seconded to Ashley Wemple, senior veterinary nurse.

“What Margaret said about these toys is absolutely true. They look harmless and dogs can have fun for days without a problem, but if swallowed they can pose a serious threat. The safest thing to do, therefore, is to avoid letting your dog play with a toy that they might swallow by mistake. "

Dog owners be alerted! Avoid buying this kind of toy and offer safer ones to your loyal companions!