Derby vets use hook-a-duck method to pull toy from bulldog

A team of vets used their best fairground game skills on a British bulldog after he swallowed a rubber duck whole.

Staff from Derby's Pride Veterinary Centre used a "hook-a-duck" method to retrieve the toy from one-year-old Ronnie's stomach.

They used a video camera down his throat to loop the toy and pull it out.

Owner Joe Fisher said he planned to frame Ronnie's X-rays and keep the duck to remind him of his dog's antics.

Mr Fisher, 38, from Nottingham, said the mischievous pet "shot past me and right up the stairs" one morning earlier this month.

He said: "He ran right into my nine-year-old daughter's room, picked up the rubber duck that was lying on the floor and ran back down with it in his mouth.

"I never for a minute thought he'd swallow it. It was so big I couldn't believe what he'd done.

"We were obviously really concerned that it might block his airway or something, but he didn't appear to be bothered at all."

Senior vet Debs Smith said the X-ray on Ronnie's stomach showed the duck "really clearly".

"It was still in his stomach and hadn't passed into the intestines, but we were obviously concerned about it causing an obstruction," she said.

"It was possible that we might have to operate but we tried an endoscopy first, passing down a camera and using it to guide us.

"It really was like playing 'hook a duck' and after about half an hour, we got the loop around it and pulled it out."

Ronnie is now back to his old self and Mr Fisher is planning to frame the X-rays and keep the duck as a reminder of his naughty pup's unusual early morning snack.

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