In the state of Ohio (United States), Tori Shank believed that the days of Dandy, her little 7-year-old dog, were numbered: after more than a week of vomiting, an ultrasound revealed a mass in the animal's stomach, and the surgeon warned that an operation might be of no use. The following examination, however, changed everything, reported The Dodo.
When Dandy began to no longer keep what she swallowed, food and water, her family became worried. “ She had been vomiting on and off for a little over a week. », recounted Tori Shankhis mistress. Radiology assistant at the veterinary clinic MedVet Akronin theOhioshe took her canine companion there for an examination.
In the ultrasound image, something looked like a tumor lodged in the stomach. Tory immediately thought it was a mass, and the clinic surgeon warned the family: given the location, operating on the dog would have been extremely risky. Those close to him feared that Dandy nearing the end of his life.
At the end of the endoscope, a complete surprise
Rather than cutting the dog open, the team preferred to slide an endoscope up to the lump in order to examine it from another angle. What everyone thought was a tumor was actually a whole yellow potato. “ It was the best news possible. I was delighted », confides Tory. Everyone applauded, even though, according to the teacher's estimation, the tuber must have been in the stomach for at least 2 weeks.
How Dandy could she have swallowed it? The mystery remains. Tory remembers that there were potatoes at home, but she never saw her dog grab one of them. Regardless, the potato was carefully removed.
What followed was a relief. “ Then she regained her energy », rejoices Tory. The little dog had a slightly irritated throat for a few days, then nothing more: since then, she has been perfectly fine, assures her mistress.
In a nod to this episode now remembered, Tory chose for Dandy a special Halloween costume: a disguise representing a potato in foil.