The pebble-dashed puppy: Alfie wolfed down half a pound of stones he thought were dog biscuits

By Mail Online Reporter

Lucky: Alfie the pug ate half a pound of shingle and had to be rushed to the vet for an emergency operation


As a five-month-old puppy, Alfie likes to tuck into anything and everything but his appetite nearly killed him after he swallowed an entire belly full of stones.

This incredible X-ray picture shows the little pug dog's stomach full to bursting with shingle he had wolfed down from the garden.

Apparently undeterred by the lack of flavour in his snack, the puppy consumed half a pound of the little stones.


Small dog, big appetite: Alfie with Chloe Loizides. They realised what he had done because he was so heavy


His owner Nicola Loizides, 43, spotted something was amiss when she picked him up and noticed he was 'substantially heavier'.

She put two and two together after feeling his stomach - which she said felt more like a Beanie Baby - and noticed him chewing a stone outside.

The worried mother-of-two rushed Harrods-bought Alfie to the vets, where he went under the knife for an emergency operation.

Vets pulled out half a pound of stones from his stomach just in the nick of time. Had it been left for longer the shingle could have perforated his intestines which would have potentially been fatal.

Alfie is now back at his home in Bournemouth, Dorset, and is making a good recovery, much to Miss Loizides relief.

'We thought he was just enjoying himself in the garden, but over two hours he'd consumed 250 grams of pea shingle,' she said.

'We couldn't believe it when we picked him up - you could hear the pea shingle. He was like a little beanie baby.

'From the X-rays, the vet showed us there was no room left in his stomach. He's fine now and in good spirits. He is normally as good as gold, although he is like a mini Hoover. He's eaten strawberries in the garden before but nothing like that.'



Vet Mark Collins, 26, from Aniwell Veterinary Clinic in Bournemouth, said: 'Alfie is a very lucky dog indeed. He must have been very sore but when he first came into the surgery he looked remarkably well - he was running about and wagging his tail.

'His owner had seen him eating the stones, so we sent him in for an X-ray and it showed he had an entire stomach full. I couldn't believe it. We sometimes have animals in who have swallowed the odd stone, but I've never seen anything quite like this.

'We managed to operate to remove the stones and within half an hour Alfie was up and about again.

'If his owner hadn't caught it, the stones would have passed into his small intestine which could have been perforated.

'This could cause peritonitis which is very serious and most likely fatal. We're very pleased that Aflie is back on his feet again.'


source: dailymail