A curious canine called Domino found herself chapping at the vet’s door after swallowing a hearing aid.
Living up to the labrador’s reputation for being eating machines, the pup munched down the device after finding its hiding place.
The six-month-old was rushed to the PDSA pet hospital in Dundee’s Hawkhill by owner Norma McKenzie.
Once there she was given medication to make her regurgitate the hearing aid.
Vets said that without Norma’s quick actions, the outcome could have been fatal.
Norma, who requires hearing aids for occasional use, said she returned home to find Domino chewing on one of her aids, with no trace of the other one.
The 63-year-old said: “The injection did the trick and within five minutes Domino had brought up all the different bits of the hearing aid, along with the battery.
“We also discovered that she’d swallowed bits from a comb, the jewel from a hairclip and had even been munching on prawn crackers.”
She added that Domino already had a taste for unusual items: “The one day I found her with a pair of my glasses and one of the lenses was destroyed.
“She’s also chewed the side of my coffee table.
“I heard that putting mustard on it would stop her, but she actually enjoyed it and licked it all off.
“I know she’s a puppy and they do like to explore things but I’m now being a lot more careful where I put things, especially when I get my replacement hearing aids.”
PDSA senior vet Andy Cage said that it is common for dogs to swallow strange things, especially when they are puppies.
“There is a medical term for pets eating strange objects pica,” he said.
“Dogs, especially puppies and younger dogs like Domino, use their mouth to investigate objects, as well as to eat.
“Sometimes when doing this a dog will swallow an object by mistake,” he added.
“Thankfully Norma brought Domino straight to the hospital which meant we were able to take action before it caused any serious damage.”
He warned that the hearing aid could have caused a tear or fatal blockage in Domino’s digestive system.
The battery could also have burned her stomach lining and led to serious, even fatal, complications.