The two-year-old Pinscher cross Doberman had a lion Ooshie and another plastic object removed from her bowel during emergency surgery.

Coco’s carer Troy Collins had noticed something was not right after his beloved pet began vomiting a lot of plant matter. However it was her loss of appetite that really caught his attention.

“She refused to eat, which is not like her,” said Mr Collins adding she then “went down really quickly”.

The family rushed her to a local vet, where x-rays suggested a foreign object was blocking her bowel. She was referred to Lort Smith for emergency enterotomy surgery.

Mr Collins was surprised to hear it was two pieces of plastic including a lion Ooshie that was causing Coco’s internal damage, suspecting it might have otherwise been Lego.

“Coco is lucky she made it to us in time. If she had been left in this state much longer the situation could have been dire,” said Lort Smith Head of Hospital Dr David Cunliffe.

Foreign body surgeries increased by 75% in comparison to last year over the April-May period.

Lort Smith understands pets are curious, and can easily ingest things while we are not looking. However, it is important to minimise potential hazards by keeping keep enticing objects out of reach.

Creating physical boundaries around certain activities can help to minimise these unfortunate but increasingly common instances.

“Most importantly always keep an eye on you dog; and if you are concerned about your pet, please see your vet,” added Dr Cunliffe.

Coco spent a total of four days at Lort Smith, and is now back at home with her beloved family, feeling rather sorry for herself.

If you think your pet needs emergency vet care, visit Need Help Now.