Puppy recovering after operation to remove toy arrow that's almost as big as she is

A 12-week-old puppy needed life-saving surgery after she swallowed a toy arrow "almost as long as her body". Staffordshire Bull Terrier Loula's owners initially thought she had gulped down a pen, but later realised it was the 12in (30cm) projectile.



Vets operated to remove the arrow, which had become lodged in Loula's stomach and gastrointestinal tract. "We never expected the foreign body to be so large," said veterinary nurse Jane Lewis.





"Initially we believed Loula may have swallowed a pen as her owners found a chewed pen lid," said Ms Lewis, of Manor Veterinary Clinic in Folkestone, Kent. "She is recovering well from her ordeal and is now resting at home with her family who are delighted with her progress," she added.



Owner Luke Ponter said Loula had eaten her breakfast but came into the living room and started to choke. "I took the kids to school, came home and she was pretty bad, couldn't breathe. I just thought, take her to the vets." Mr Ponter said the vet felt her belly and immediately said she needed an operation. "I panicked a bit, I didn't think she was going to come home again. It saved her life," he said.

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