Dog undergoes surgery after swallowing more than 50 hairbands

By Lauren Beavis via SWNS

A family was left "horrified" when their pet dog had to have surgery after swallowing 200g of hairbands.

Victoria Northwood, 50, had noticed that her two-year-old pug, named Ham, was not her usual self over Christmas.

But the pet owner, based in Sherborne, admits she was "unprepared" for the amount of hairbands that would soon be discovered inside Ham's stomach.

Thankfully, Ham, named after West Ham United FC, has now made a swift recovery and is back home causing more mischief.

Victoria said: "We knew she chewed and occasionally swallowed hairbands - as they came out the other end.

"But we were horrified when we realized she had so many lodged in her stomach, and we are definitely going to be more vigilant from now on!"

Northwood explained that Ham usually spends most of the day barking at anyone or anything that passes the house.

But when she became very quiet over Christmas the concerned family gave the vet a call, and they said 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.

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.

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 OK!"