Dorset family say they were 'shocked' at dog eating hairbands

Two-year-old Ham is now back at home and fully recovered, her owner said

A family has said they were "shocked" when a vet told them their pet pug had managed to eat 200g of hairbands.

Victoria Northwood, from Sherborne, Dorset, noticed her two-year-old dog, named Ham, was not her usual self and "seemed very quiet and under the weather".

But she said "nothing prepared" her for the amount of hairbands a vet found in her stomach.

Ham has now fully recovered and is back home causing mischief, her owner said.

An X-ray revealed the pug had something strange-looking in her stomach

Ms Northwood explained that Ham, named after Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, usually spends most of the day barking at anyone or anything that passes the house.

But when she became very quiet the family gave the vet a call, and they said to pop in just to be on the safe side.

She said: "We knew she ate the odd hair band as we had noticed them coming out the other end, but nothing prepared us for the amount they found in there."

Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgery removed about 50 to 60 hairbands from Ham's stomach

Initial investigations by the team at Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgery revealed she had something rather "strange" looking in her stomach, and they said "she was swiftly taken to surgery for further investigations".

Veterinary surgeon Emily Whitby said: "To our surprise, Ham had a stomach full of hairbands.

"We removed around 50 to 60 hairbands in total, which weighed in at 200g, when Ham only weighs 6kg herself."

Ms Northwood said: "We were really shocked that this could happen and so grateful to the vets for their vigilance and for listening to us when we went to them with a hunch that all was not well.

"We are keeping a much closer eye on her now - it is such a relief that she is OK."

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