A WARNING has been issued to pet owners telling them to be "vigilant" when walking their dogs, after a Labrador was rushed to the vets - because he swallowed a kebab stick.

The owners were worried two-year-old Teddy had eaten a fish on a recent trip to the beach.

Somerset County Gazette: 1. Teddy the Labrador, none the worse for wear after treatment at Cave Veterinary Specialists

He was vomiting and yelping in pain so they took him to a vets near Wellington.

Cave Veterinary Specialists, in West Buckland, operated on Teddy and found the two-inch kebab stick.

The stick had punctured the dogs stomach and spleen.

"Teddy was in a lot of pain and discomfort so we carried out an ultrasound examination to try to identify the problem," said Natasha Dickinson, from Cave’s imaging team.

Somerset County Gazette: 2. The ultrasound scan showing the kebab skewer in Teddy’s spleen

“It showed a clear thickening of the stomach wall, possibly indicating it had been pierced by a foreign object. It also highlighted the presence of hyperechoic fat surrounding the spleen, indicating inflammation or a rupture.

“A more in-depth investigation showed a two-inch linear object which had passed though the spleen, which was clearly an immediate cause for concern.

“There was a real risk of a serious blockage and perforation of internal organs, as well as the risk of infection.”

Head of surgery, EBVS specialist Malcolm Jack, operated on Teddy to get to the bottom of the issue.

"We operated to investigate and actually discovered it was a kebab stick which had perforated Teddy’s stomach wall and entered, and lodged, in his spleen," he said.

“We carefully removed it and happily he’s gone on to make a full recovery, none the worse for his ordeal.

Somerset County Gazette: 3. The kebab skewer after removal, with a syringe for scale

“We hope the incident serves as a reminder to everyone about the dangers that can be posed by items we discard.

"And a warning to pet owners to be ever-vigilant about what their animals are doing.”

Cave Veterinary Specialists are part of the Linneaus group, which has 44 primary care and 16 referral veterinary practices based in the UK.

To find out more visit cave-vet-specialists.co.uk