A labrador has undergone a life-saving operation after eating more than 30 home-made gingerbread Christmas tree decorations, Fox News has reported.
The canine's owner, Rachael Bulmer from Bournemouth, England, immediately took seven-year-old Marley to the PDSA Pet Hospital in the Dorset town after he became critically ill from eating the treats. It was there that vets performed two emergency surgeries on Marley in order to remove ribbons attached to the biscuits.
Bulmer, 37, had been baking gingerbread tree decorations, which she left in gift bags on the kitchen counter.
Dogs are often taking things they shouldn't. In fact, this police dog was caught red-handed stealing Christmas presents:Bulmer thought she had kept them out of reach but when she noticed that some were gone, she went to check on Marley. And to prove her suspicions correct, Marley began acting strangely and was even violently sick, vomiting out some of the ribbons.
The PDSA shared Marley's story on their official Twitter page, saying: "Poor Marley was rushed to PDSA after he ate over 30 home-made gingerbread Christmas decorations, including the ribbons, which left him with a life threatening-blockage."
The pup's doting owner admits that Marley has eaten unedible items over the years but they would usually pass through - this time, though, he needed medical attention.
The high-risk surgeries, which lasted three hours and cost more than $2,600, saw the vets remove 34 decorative ribbons that could have caused a fatal blockage.
This animal shelter in Florida is offering volunteers the chance of a dream job of becoming a dog cuddler:They also removed a number of bones Marley had swallowed as well. The cost of the surgeries was covered in full by public donations.
Bulmer was warned that her beloved dog's chances of surviving the operations were slim. He was also transferred to the out-of-hours provider, Vets Now, so he could receive care overnight. And even after pulling through following the operations, Marley required critical round-the-clock care for four days before he could be taken home.
Marley is now said to be recovering well.
But Marley isn't the only pooch to have been hungry over this festive period. Vets Now also had a patient by the name of Benji, who was rushed in after eating 3-feet of tinsel:
They said in the post that Benji is now on the mend: "Benji was rushed into our Manchester hospital after getting a little too excited about the festivities and swallowing something he shouldn't have.
"Don't worry though, Benji is now on the mend and is set to make a full recovery."
