A DOG had a large flint removed from her intestine after swallowing the stone while out on a shoot.

Clover, a two-year-old spring-er spaniel bitch, is one of 27 dogs owned by Lance and Julie Williams, of Broadleaf Gun Dogs, near Purton, who breed and rear gun dogs and regularly go on hunts and shoots.

Because it was a large flint stone and not from where the dogs live, it is thought Clover swallowed it while out on a shoot last month.

Julie, 50, noticed something was wrong when Clover stopped eating her food and started being sick. She took Clover to Vet’s Klinic in Callenders Industrial Estate.

“She was off her food but we didn’t know for how long,” said Julie. “Then she started being sick. She’s a slim dog and quite small for a springer spaniel, so we took her into the vets thinking she had an upset stomach.

“She jumps up at the apple trees, so we thought she had just eaten too many apples.”

Vet Adrian Caunter examined Clover and felt a foreign body in her intestine which was causing a blockage.

An x-ray confirmed the presence of an object and it was quickly decided an operation was needed to remove it.

It was during surgery Adrian discovered it was not an apple, but a large flint stone.

Julie said: “I was surprised at the size of the stone.

“It had actually damaged the lining of the stomach so it was quite a serious operation. But within 48 hours you wouldn’t even have known she had had an operation. She had completely and utterly recovered.”

Clover is now back at home and happily munching apples.

Julie praised Vet’s Klinic, and in particular Adrian, who took care of Clover and helped her to make a full recovery.

She said: “Vet’s Klinic are the most amazing vets in Swindon.”

As well as training gun dogs, Julie and Lance are Kennel Club-accredited breeders who produce top quality working dogs as well as family pets.

All their dogs work four to five times a week during the shooting season and they also have award-winning stud dogs, including F.T.CH Broadlaw Jake who retired from trialling at the top representing Scotland in the International team.

For more about Broadleaf Gun Dogs, visit: www.broad leafgundogs.co.uk. For more about Vet’s Klinic, visit: vetsklinic.co.uk.