Balls found inside 'rattling' dog

**ChrisH** · 09-05-2008, 06:50 AM

A dog had to have 13 golf balls removed from its stomach after eating them on walks around a Fife course.

Owner Chris Morrison had been taking five-year-old black labrador Oscar round the Pitreavie golf course in Dunfermline for several months. He took Oscar to the vet after noticing a rattling sound coming from his pet's stomach. They then discovered that 13 balls - each weighing 45 grams - were lodged in his stomach.

Mr Morrison, a planning administrator, said one of the balls had been in his stomach so long that it had turned black and was decomposing.
He said: "He finds golf balls like truffles. We're not sure how long exactly this happened over, but it must have been a fair period - several months at least. I felt his stomach and heard them rattling around.

He normally brings a few home, but I had no idea he had eaten so many.The vet hadn't seen anything like it, it was bizarre. He is a black lab so he is a fair size, but to swallow 13 is quite amazing."

The balls were removed two weeks ago in a successful hour-long operation.

Bag full

Oscar is now on the road to making a full recovery on a special post-operation diet of watered-down food. He also has to wear a muzzle while out and about.

Mr Morrison added: "He does get a bit frustrated now and again."

Bob Hesketh, 40, principal vet at Vetrica in Rosyth, said he had never seen anything like it.

He said: "It was like a magic trick. I opened him up and felt what I thought was two or three golf balls. But they just kept coming until we had a bag full. I think they must have been in there for several months, one was all black and the shell was swollen."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...st/7599899.stm

**4 Dog Mother** · 09-05-2008, 10:18 AM

Oh. my. goodness. How could he have swallowed that many whole? And how could his owner not know he had swallowed some of them? And how did he not get any stuck in his throat? Amazing! Just amazing!

**lvpets2002** · 09-05-2008, 10:28 AM

OMG the owner never saw the dog eat these golf balls on their walks.. Poor puppy.. You know the baby had to be uncomfortable.. So glad they got all the golf balls out & the baby is ok..

**AdoreMyDogs** · 09-05-2008, 12:28 PM

Bad labbie. I am surprised the owner didn't notice the dog gobbeling up all those balls. I'm glad that naughty labbie is OK and hopefully (although it's not likely), he'll have learned his lesson. Hope also the owner finds somewhere else to walk Oscar.

**Catlady711** · 09-05-2008, 01:30 PM

What is it about golf balls in the UK that seem to taste so good to animals??

Here's one about a snake eating golf balls. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/ne...00/7169581.stm

**Karen** · 09-05-2008, 02:28 PM

Well, any Lab owner can tell you they really are just 4-legged vacuum cleaners. But THAT took talent - to swallow that many without choking, gagging, just find, swallow and move on, no chewing or the owner might notice! I'm glad he has to wear a muzzle while out and about - if he didn't learn it was a bad idea after eating the first 6, chances are he's not gonna learn now!