The thief who bit off more than he could chew... puppy needs surgery after stealing a Chinese spare rib and swallowing it WHOLE

By ANNA EDWARDS

Don't give this dog a bone: Rossi gulped down the six-inch rib before his astonished owners could stop him and had to have the spare rib surgically removed

A puppy got himself into a sticky situation when he pinched a six-inch Chinese spare rib from his owner and swallowed it in one gulp.
Greedy Staffordshire bull terrier Rossi got into difficulties when the bone - which unbelievably he didn't choke on - started scratching his stomach.
Owner Steven Hawthorn, 44, said the 15-week-old puppy snatched the rib and swallowed it whole as he and his family sat down to a takeaway meal.

Gobbled it up in one go: His owner Steven says Rossi could not resist the delicious smell of the takeaway, and ignored his usual dog food to try his luck with the takeaway

His wife Donna, 35, and sons Lewis, 13 and Samuel, 11, watched in amazement as Rossi, named after motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi, jumped up to nab the pork rib and devoured it in seconds.
Worried that the bone would get stuck, Mr Hawthorn, from Oldbury, West Midlands, took Rossi to the Companion Care Veterinary Surgery the next day.
An x-ray on January 6 revealed the large bone was scratching his stomach lining, which was starting to bleed and the pet was prepared for surgery.
Mr Hawthorn said: 'How he managed to swallow such a large bone is amazing. How it didn't choke him or damage his aesophagus is a miracle.

Sticky spare rib: The surgeons believe if they hadn't acted quickly Rossi could have died

'It could have easily ruptured his intestines. He's lucky to be alive, a lot of things went in his favour and we're really glad he's still here.
'A second x-ray showed the bone had moved towards the intestines. A few more hours without the operation and he would have gone, I can't praise the vets enough.
'It was our first food treat of the year after Christmas and we were looking forward to it. But as soon as he swallowed it I knew he was in trouble.'

source: dailymail