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Dog saved after swallowing Nintendo game
Vets found the Nintendo DS game lodged in Rocco's small intestine.

Vets stunned to find DS game lodged in dog’s intestine

A rescue dog has been saved by PDSA vets in Glasgow after swallowing a Nintendo DS game.

Staffordshire bull terrier Rocco was admitted to the Shamrock Street pet hospital after his worried owners noticed he was vomiting and refusing to eat. He was rushed into emergency surgery after an x-ray revealed the rectangular-shaped object in his gut.

Vets say they were stunned to find the game lodged in his small intestine. Left untreated, it could have caused a fatal blockage.

Owner Sean Johnston, 27, said: “He wasn’t acting himself at all and we were worried he’d eaten a corn on the cob, but we were so shocked when the vet said it was from a video game!

“We don’t own a Nintendo or anything like that so we’re baffled as to where he got it from. He’s a rescue dog and we’ve only had him for about six months so the only thing we can think is that it was from his previous owners – who knows how long it’s been in there!”

PDSA senior vet Susan Hermit added: “We see dogs that eat strange things all the time but none of us had ever seen anything like this! Objects can sometimes sit in the stomach for a while, but they cause problems when they try and push through the guts, which are much narrower.

“It was a good job Sean brought Rocco in when he did, as an object of this size trying to pass through the guts could have caused a deadly blockage or pierced his internal organs.”

Image © PDSA

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Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.