Australian vet stunned by metal fork in puppy's stomach

A South Australian vet has shared their bizarre discovery inside a five-month-old golden retriever when it came for a visit. Photo / 123rf

A South Australian vet has shared their bizarre discovery inside a 5-month-old golden retriever when it came for a visit.

Dustin the puppy had come in for a check-up after his panicked owner believed he swallowed something he should not have.

While swallowed household items are common, vets at Adelaide Animal Emergency and Referral Centre were stunned to find Dustin had managed to eat an entire metal fork.

"A fork you say? Really? Are you sure? Is it a plastic one? Or a metal one? A baby fork? Or a large Maxwell Williams one your in-laws bought as a wedding gift?," the vets joked on the company's Facebook page.

"Either way ... that's incredible, but an absolute emergency all in one, so you'd better bring him in," the post said, ostensibly paraphrasing the phone call.

Vets used an endoscope to remove the fork, with the centre recording the delicate operation for viewers to watch.

A tiny camera was attached to the device before it was inserted into the puppy's stomach.

The device was then able to catch the fork before gently pulling it out of the dog's body through mouth.

Ouch! Photo / Facebook / Adelaide Animal Emergency Referral Centre

X-rays of the dog showed the fork resting inside his ribcage between internal organs.

Viewers were quick to poke fun at golden retrievers, with some saying they have the same issue with their own dogs.

"As an owner of a goldie myself a visit to the vet for something they shouldn't have eaten is an annual event," one person wrote.

Another said: "I knew it was going to be a goldy. Bloody idiots."