Back from the ted...
Sick Maisy had soft toys in stomach
MAISY the St Bernard surprised a vet who was operating on her when a suspected tumour turned out to be a collection of cuddly toys.
The much-loved pet had been taken for a scan after she fell ill.
And it was feared the image of a huge mass in her stomach was cancer. But when she was opened up, surgeon Nick Blackburn found the remains of four teddy bears.
He said: “It’s fair to say, this was not something we were expecting to find. We all know certain dogs enjoy chewing things they shouldn’t. But managing to devour four full teddy bears is quite a feat.”
Maisy’s owners Jane and James Dickinson, both 40, feared it was the end for their beloved eight-yearold canine when she went under the knife last month.
Mr Blackburn said: “I know Jane was worried about Maisy, as she is quite old for a St Bernard, so we were naturally delighted the operation was such a success and we were able to return a happy, healthy dog to the Dickinsons.”
Restaurant manager Jane, of Dewsbury, West Yorks, had no idea Maisy was supplementing her diet with soft toys.
She said: “When Maisy went in I did think ‘is she coming out?’, but she is loving life now, it’s like she’s got her youth back.”
Jane, who also has two chihuahuas, added: “The toys weren’t even hers. She will steal the chihuahuas’ toys and play with them, but I’ve never seen her trying to chew them. Her eating habits had been completely normal.
“We had a big toy box for the chihuahuas, but we’d never seen Maisy show an interest. She doesn’t even play fetch. “We don’t know how long the teddy bears have been in there, but the smell when they came out was not pleasant.”