A family were stunned to find their pet pug had 50 hairbands lodged its stomach after they took her to the vet because of strange behaviour.
Owner Victoria Northwood, from Sherborne, Dorset, noticed her two-year-old dog, Ham, was a lot quieter than usual and decided to call the local vet.
After the vets found something ‘strange looking in Ham’s tummy, they performed surgery on her and found 200g of hairbands lodged in her gut.
The bands were removed and Ham, named after West Ham United FC, was back causing mischief and barking at strangers passing the house just like before the ordeal.
Victoria said: ‘We knew she chewed and occasionally swallowed hairbands – as they came out the other end.
Ham, the two-year-old pug, was named after West Ham United FC
A scan shows the ball of rubber hairbands lodged in Ham’s gut
The hairbands after they were removed from Ham’s stomach
A relieved Victoria Northwood after the haribands were removed from Ham’s tummy
‘But we were horrified when we realised she so many had lodged in her stomach and we are definitely going to be more vigilant from now on!’
Ham usually spends most of the day barking at anyone or anything that passes the house.
But the family became concerned when the rambunctious pug became very quiet so they gave the vet a call, who told them to come into the surgeons for precaution.
Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons swiftly took Ham into surgery for further investigations, after noticing she had something ‘strange’ looking in her tummy.
Ham on the shoulder of one of her family members at the vets
The family knew Ham liked to chew and swallow the hairbands because they often came out the other end
The rubber hairbands were causing discomfort for Ham, who became a lot quieter as a result
Ham made a swift recovery following the surgery and was back barking at strangers going by the house in no time
They revealed, ‘to their surprise’, that Ham had a stomach full of hairbands – over 200g of them.
The surgeons said they removed around 50 to 60 hairbands in total – which is a lot for small dog.
According to the vets, Ham has been feeling much better since their removal, and is ‘back to causing mischief at home – and hopefully, no longer on the hunt for hairbands’.
Victoria added: ‘We are keeping a much closer eye on her from now on – it’s a relief she is okay!’