Phil is an eleven year old Fox Terrier who recently visited us as he was refusing to eat his food and appeared lethargic. A full examination was conducted. Phil's abdomen felt OK but he was a little bit nauseous as we felt and assessed his bowel. An x-ray of his abdominal cavity was taken and an unusual structure could be signed in his small intestine.

Given Phil was deteriorating and not responding to initial treatment, we elected to perform exploratory surgery on Phil to help diagnose, and hopefully correct, the problem.

It soon became apparent in surgery what had caused the problem. A section of Phil's small intestine was blocked with a soft object. A small incision was made into the affected portion of the bowel and the veterinarians were able to retrieve a rubber ear which Phil had chewed off a toy recently! The small incision was sutured and Phil recovered uneventfully from surgery. We are pleased to report that he has been fine since, and his owner is very cautious about which toys Phil can play with now.

Related links

• Chewing - choosing a safe chew toy for your pet