A HAMPSHIRE dog needed emergency surgery after a corn-on-the-cob got stuck in his gut — several weeks after he swallowed it.

Greedy beagle Marmite had to have part of his intestines removed after Vets Now in Alresford discovered the husk lodged in a life-threatening position.

Owner Helen Harvey, from Andover only realised something was wrong when Marmite started being violently sick.

She recalled: “I actually cried walking home as I thought it would cause him problems, but nothing seemed to be wrong with him to begin with.

“Then he suddenly started being really sick. He was sick seven or eight times, real projectile vomiting that went everywhere.

“We were really concerned and, by this time it was 1am, so it was a real Godsend to have Vets Now on the end of the phone.

“I was told to take him straight down to the clinic and it was a really worrying journey. He was so ill that I really thought I was going to lose him this time.”

It is thought the husk had been in the nine-year-old dog's gut for a considerable amount of time before causing a serious blockage.

Unlike most vegetables, corn-on-the-cobs do not digest in a dog’s stomach. Vets Now has drawn up an advice guide on what to do if your dog eats one.

If the husk ends up resting in the digestive system it can be there until it passes through to the intestine or until it’s surgically removed.

This can sometimes take weeks or even months.

Incredibly, this was the second time Marmite needed critical care after scoffing a corn husk.

Molly Wilson, who is a vet nurse at Vets Now in Winchester, said: “Marmite was in a lot of pain and retching badly when he was brought in.

“We stablised him and performed various tests which highlighted there was a high chance of an obstruction in the small intestine.

“We kept a close eye on him overnight and, thankfully, he remained stable enough to be transferred back to his daytime practice, Foxcotte vets, the next morning.”

Marmite underwent a four-hour operation to remove the corn on the cob that involved cutting away a few inches of his intestine.

He then returned to Vets Now for further post-operative care.

Helen and her family adopted Marmite when he was three and learned he had a history of eating so-called foreign objects, including socks.

They always kept a close eye on him while out for walks but four years ago he ate a corn-on-the-cob he’d found in a discarded fast-food container.

Ms Wilson added: “In the end, he was very lucky to survive. There was a risk of complications, and the operation to remove the cob came with its own dangers.

“But Marmite’s case was a great example of the Vets Now team working together with one of our daytime partner practices to save a life.”

Helen added: "I know of a neighbour whose Labrador had to be put to sleep after eating a corn on the cob, so they can be so dangerous. Try and be as vigilant as you can and definitely get help just as soon as you can if you suspect they’ve eaten one of these."