Labrador dog 'recovering' after eating its lead

Max likes to chew on socks and clothes but had never before tried to eat non-food items, his owners say

A Labrador is recovering at home after scoffing its entire lead during a 15-minute car journey.

Max left only the metal end after tucking in while his owners Brian and Christine Hillman were not watching.

They took him to the emergency Vets Now clinic in Newport where a team of specialists recovered the lead, which was chewed into 5cm strips.

"He is prone to getting hold of things and having a good chew," Ms Hillman said.

Veterinary staff said ingesting foreign objects often requires surgery but Max's owners' quick actions avoided this

Ms Hillman, 54, said that although Max was prone to chewing on items of clothing he had never before eaten anything he should not have.

"We lost our lovely pet Sadie in 2013 and I vowed I'd never get another dog," she said.

"But I couldn't resist Max when we saw him at nine months old and he helped to fill the gap."

The pair fell so in love with Max that they got another Labrador, Saffron, who is six.

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"They're both lovely but we know to keep an eye on Max as he is prone to getting hold of things and having a good chew," she said.

"He is always at the socks and knickers from the washing, although he just bites holes in them, he's never actually eaten any.

"So, we never for a moment thought he'd do anything as crazy as eat his lead."

Seven-year-old Max is queasy but recovering well at home

Seven-year-old Max has had previous health issues and was on his way to a hydrotherapy session before Mr Hillman spotted the lead was missing.

"He checked the car and the car park just in case but there was no trace so it was obvious he'd started chewing on it and then just ate the whole thing," Ms Hillman added.

The clinic staff said it was the first dog they have treated who has ingested an entire lead.

Laura Playforth, from Vets Now, said: "This was an unusual case to say the least.

"Some foreign objects are small enough to pass through a dog's system without causing any problems but others can get stuck causing dogs to become seriously ill quite quickly.

"These intestinal obstructions often require surgery which poses its own risks.

"However, in Max's case, because we knew he'd only recently swallowed the lead we were confident inducing vomiting would bring it back up."

Ms Hillman said that although Max was queasy at first, he is back to his old self.

"It's still hard to believe what he did. We take no chances now and have both dogs off their leads when they get in the car."