Lucky dog's got more balls than most

A stricken dog was left feeling below par – after eating nine golf balls. And incredibly, when vets performed an operation to remove them, they also discovered the family pet had been shot in the past.

Bertie, a pointer bloodhound cross-breed, was taken to the vets by his owner Ben Jewell, 12, after he saw him swallow a golf ball while playing at his home in Great Totham.


Photo from here.

Following an x-ray at Clarendon House veterinary surgery, in Heybridge, vets were astonished to find nine golf balls in Bertie’s stomach.

A tenth item, spotted floating in the fat in his belly, was found to be a bullet – believed to be from a rifle.



Bertie had to undergo a two-hour operation on his stomach to remove the items, at which point surgeons discovered the bullet. The family was oblivious to the shooting.

Vet Emily Nightingale said: “We were absolutely flabbergasted when we saw the x-ray. His stomach could have easily ruptured from the pressure of the golf balls, which could have been fatal, and the fact the bullet miraculously missed his vital organs proves just how lucky this brave little chappie has been.”