Dog has emergency surgery after swallowing toy train
A dog who swallowed a Thomas the Tank Engine toy has his life back on track after receiving emergency surgery.
Cyril, a nine-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, stopped eating and started vomiting last month, worrying his owner Lesley Mellor.
Ms Mellor rushed the dog to Plymouth PDSA Pet Hospital - near their home in Torpoint, Cornwall - where an X-ray revealed that Cyril had got his paws on a "Clarabel" train toy.
Cyril had life-saving surgery to remove the toy by PDSA vet David Jones.
He said: "Whenever a dog swallows a foreign object, there is a very real risk of a blockage in the intestines, which could be fatal.
"So once we'd X-rayed Cyril we took him straight into theatre to operate.
"Surgery like this is very risky, because you never know what you might find, or what damage the object might have caused."
Mr Jones warned owners to keep small items away from dogs, as they often use their mouths to "investigate objects", but "in doing so they can swallow an item by mistake" - risking potentially "disastrous consequences".
Ms Mellor, 40, said the family were "really worried" about their dog, adding: "We were all relieved when we received the phone call to say the operation had gone well.
"I can't thank PDSA enough for getting Cyril back home to his family."
