A HUNGRY dog bit off more than he could chew when he devoured his favourite treat – and ended up needing emergency life-saving surgery.

Vets at Ashlands Veterinary Centre in Ilkley battled to save the four-year-old Bullmastiff’s life after he wolfed down a huge chunk of beef marrowbone, which became stuck in his oesophagus.

Bilbo needed delicate and risky open chest surgery, which took more than three hours to perform, followed by round-the-clock veterinary care for two weeks.

Thanks to Ashlands Vets’ care and expertise, Bilbo has made a miraculous recovery, but the vet that saved his life is warning owners about the hazards of feeding bones.

The drama happened when Bilbo, a much-loved family pet, was given his favourite treat – a huge beef marrowbone from the farmers’ market in Ilkley - by owner Tisha Owen.

After enjoying chewing on the bone in the garden of the couple’s home in Addingham, near Ilkley, he became unwell late at night and they rang Ashlands Vets, where staff advised them to bring him in as an emergency.

It was discovered he had a 10cm piece of broken bone stuck in his oesophagus, which was potentially life-threatening, and the only way to remove it was to operate.

For several days it was touch and go whether Bilbo survived, but he is now back home after recovering from his ordeal.

Ashlands Vets Clinical Director Andy MacGregor, who performed the operation, is warning owners not to risk their pet’s life by feeding bones.

He said: “Although many dogs are given bones as part of their diet, owners do need to be aware of the risks. We frequently have to surgically remove ingested bones from an animal’s digestive tract, especially as we move into the summer and barbecue season.

“Removing a sharp edge, bulky and contaminated object from an animal carries real life threatening risks such as peritonitis. In most cases, the bones manage to get into the stomach or intestines, but in Bilbo’s case the bone was so huge it couldn’t even get into the stomach but got stuck in his oesophagus.

“Surgery was complicated, because he was unable to breathe on his own and the location and size of the bone meant that the operating site was next to his beating heart and just below his aorta.

“There are long-term implications to this surgery, including the possibility of loss of elasticity in the oesophagus resulting in the need for liquid food for the rest of the dog’s life. Fortunately, Bilbo seems to have avoided this and should go on and lead a normal life.”

Bilbo will no longer be able to enjoy his favourite treat – as bones are now banned by his owners.

Owner Tisha Owen said: “Bilbo survived because he is a fighter but he was very ill. He is much-loved and letting him go would have been the hardest thing in the world, so we are very thankful to Ashlands Vets for saving him.

“I would urge people to be aware of the danger of bones because I wouldn’t want anybody to go through what we went through. I’ve no idea how he managed to swallow it in the first place because it was humungous.”