Horsham pug named Penny needed life-saving surgery after swallowing loose change

Five-year-old Penny was taken to Alfold Vets in Loxwood Road, after she became subdued and stopped eating.

According to the veterinary practice, the pug, who is named Penny, ‘lived up to her name’ by swallowing £1.03 in loose change.

Her owner, Vanessa Rustom, initially suspected that a piece of food had become lodged in the permanent opening in the roof of Penny’s mouth, as the dog was born with a cleft palate.

However, vet Alex Chester became concerned that something more serious could be wrong and, with Vanessa’s permission, carried out X-rays.

The scans revealed a stack of unidentified, round objects inside Penny’s stomach.

Alex performed emergency surgery to remove the objects, which turned out to be a one-pound coin and three pennies.

She said the discovery was one of the most unusual things she had encountered during surgery.

“When we saw the objects on the X-ray, our vet nurses and myself were quite taken aback and couldn’t work out exactly what they were,” Alex said.

“We knew it must be something metal due to their appearance on X-ray, and thought maybe it was a plug for something or small, round magnets.

“When I took out the coins, it was a real eureka moment.”

Alex said the coins could have caused serious problems if they had not been removed.

“The coins were still in Penny’s stomach, so she had probably only swallowed them a few hours before, but if we hadn’t discovered and removed them, they could have made her really poorly,” she said.

“If the coins had stayed in the stomach, they could have caused ulcers, and if they’d moved along into her intestines it’s likely they would have caused a blockage and some nasty damage along the way.”

Following the operation, Penny spent two nights under round-the-clock observation at Farnham Veterinary Hospital because dogs with cleft palates can be more sensitive to the effects of anaesthetic.

She subsequently returned to Alfold Vets for check-ups to monitor her recovery.

Alex said: “Penny has made a great recovery and I’m really pleased with the outcome.

“It was very rewarding to be able to work out what was wrong with her and to help her feel better.”

Penny is now back home with Vanessa, who rescued her when she was eight months old.

As a puppy, Penny needed to be hand-fed because of her cleft palate. She later underwent surgery to repair the opening in her mouth, but it could not be completely closed.

Vanessa said she was grateful to the veterinary team for identifying the cause of Penny’s illness.

“It was so worrying when Penny was unwell and I’m very grateful to Alex and the team at Alfold Vets for being so thorough and finding out what was wrong with her,” she said.

“The whole team was brilliant and gave her the best care and thanks to them Penny is back to her usual, bouncy self.”

Vanessa said Penny had a habit of picking things up, but she had no idea where the coins came from.

“I have no idea where she found the money, though, as the only place we might have coins is in the children’s bedrooms but Penny doesn’t go in there,” she said.

“I can only think she found them outside, perhaps in Horsham Park or around the town centre, where we walk quite often.”

Penny has since made a full recovery and is back home with her owner.

Alfold Vets is part of VetPartners, which owns some of the UK and Europe’s leading veterinary practices.