Ham, a two-year-old Pug cross, has always been a happy and lively dog who would bark and get excited at literally the tiniest thing she saw.
However, lately, her mom, Victoria Northwood, had noticed that something was wrong as her furry friend was a little under the weather.
Because she was very worried about her well-being, Victoria decided to call the vet. The doctor didn’t think it was anything serious, but he still told her to bring the dog as a precaution.
Neither Victoria nor the vet could have imagined what they would witness that day.
Utter Shock
When Victoria brought Ham to the Newtone Clarke Veterinary Surgery, he was immediately X-rayed. At first, the vet saw something strange inside the stomach, but he could not yet determine with certainty what it was.
Source: Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons
Even though, after taking another look, the vet guessed what it could be, he still didn’t want to say anything in advance, so as not to upset Victoria.
However, he determined that Ham would have to undergo surgery, so he quickly handed her over to his colleague, Emily Whitby, a veterinary surgeon.
After the operation was successfully completed, Emily came to tell them some shocking news. According to the BBC, Emily said that “around 50 to 60 hairbands in total” were removed from her stomach.
Source: Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons
While that, in itself, was shocking, another fact made this case even more unbelievable. Namely, NCVS wrote in their Facebook post that those hairbands weighed almost 7 ounces.
Considering that Ham, herself, weighs about 2 pounds, it’s a wonder she could function at all with so much “material” in her.
Meanwhile, Ham’s mom, Victoria, was overjoyed that the operation went well, but she still couldn’t hide her shock at everything that happened in such a short time.
“We knew she ate the odd hair band as we had noticed them coming out the other end, but nothing prepared us for the amount they found in there,” Victoria told the BBC.
Already Back To Her Mischiefs
Source: Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons
Cute Ham did not stay long in the clinic as the doctors soon let her recover at home.
NCVS wrote in their Facebook post that Ham is slowly recovering, but they also stated that: “She is back to causing mischief at home (and hopefully, no longer on the hunt for hairbands!).”
Her mom, Victoria, although glad that this story had a happy ending, also promised that she would do everything to ensure that this unpleasant situation never happens again.
“We were really shocked that this could happen and so grateful to the vets for their vigilance and for listening to us when we went to them with a hunch that all was not well,” Victoria added. “We are keeping a much closer eye on her now — it is such a relief that she is okay.”