Murphy’s flaw! Boston terrier needs treatment at vets after swallowing needle and thread

Mischievous two-year-old rushed to emergency vets when owner discovers thread hanging from his bottom

A Boston terrier with a habit for stealing things had to be rushed to the vet – when it was discovered he’d swallowed a needle and thread.

Murphy’s owners, Jody and Ashley, had arrived home from a night out with friends to discover their beloved dog had been sick.

The two-year-old’s condition deteriorated the next day so Jody took him to the vet where he was checked over and given medication.

But it wasn’t until the following evening that Jody discovered the cause of Murphy’s illness was he’d swallowed one of her tiny sewing needles.

Jody explained: “I saw a white thread hanging from his back side and knew instantly what it was.

“We have quite a low coffee table and I’d put a needle and thread on it a few days earlier.

“I remembered thinking to myself at the time that I’d need to move it out of Murphy’s reach just in case. But I obviously got distracted.”

She added: “If I use a needle I keep a thread on it as I tend to lose them – but I never expected to lose it in my dog’s stomach.”

After discovering the white thread, Jody rushed Murphy to Vets Now in Birmingham for a second veterinary examination.

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She said: “The needle had made its way through his body and stopped at the last hurdle.

“It was apparent Murphy was quite uncomfortable, and thankfully the vet was able to examine him and feel for the needle.”

Jody, a human resources manager in Birmingham, said Murphy loves stealing things, such as sunglasses and hair grips, from around her home.

She added: “Murphy has a habit of stealing things he knows he’s not supposed to. It’s a game to him so even though we try to avoid putting things down where he might reach them, he picks things up that are dangerous.

“Even though we know you’re not supposed to, we have to chase him to get them out of his mouth – chicken bones, pens and all those kind of things.”

Emergency vet Lynne Faulconbridge, who treated Murphy, said he’d been fortunate to escape without serious injury.

She added: “I’ve come across cats who have done this, but never a dog.

“Murphy’s abdomen was very tense and uncomfortable so I conducted a scan and an x-ray to check there had been no internal damage.

“I also placed him on a drip as he’d only had a small amount of food and water since becoming sick. I then removed the needle from his rectum very carefully. Thankfully it had worked its way through without too much trouble.”

Lynne continued: “We kept Murphy on fluids overnight and monitored him carefully and he was much brighter by the following morning. He’s a lucky boy.”

The Vets Now clinic in Birmingham – where Murphy received treatment – was recently rated as “outstanding” in the delivery of emergency and critical care by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

It’s one of 55 Vets Now clinics and pet emergency hospitals across the UK that are open through the night, seven-days-a-week, and day and night on weekends and bank holidays, to treat any pet emergencies that may occur.

All of Vets Now’s out-of-hours clinics and 24/7 hospitals have a vet and vet nurse on site at all times.