Vets rushed Golden Retriever into surgery after he swallowed AirPods whole — and were stunned by what they found inside

'Jimmy’s a beautiful dog, and he’s lucky his owners acted so promptly,' the vet said.

PUBLISHED 4 HOURS AGO

(L) A pet dog going through surgery. (R) A woman with her wireless earphones. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) andresr, (R) Aleksandar Mladenovic)

Most dog owners know that puppies will try to eat just anything they can get their paws on. But one young dog took things a bit too far, leaving his owner in shock. What started as a fun Easter Sunday quickly turned into an emergency vet visit, all because of one very expensive "toy."

A woman hugging her pet dog. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | standret)

As reported by Hull Live, the then 22-year-old Rachel Hick from Hull had been enjoying the day with her Golden Retriever, Jimmy, in 2021. She was taking pictures of him for his Instagram account while he played with his first-ever dog-friendly Easter egg. “He was jumping up and running around, going crazy, he was so hyped up and excited,” Rachel said. In all the excitement, her AirPods fell out of her pocket, and before she could react, Jimmy had swallowed the entire charging case. “He looked up at me straight after and gave me a look as if to say, ‘That wasn’t the treat, was it?’ My heart sank.”

Young golden retriever pup at the vet. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | gilaxia)

Rachel rushed Jimmy to Vets Now, an out-of-hours pet emergency service in Hull. An X-ray confirmed the AirPods case was still intact inside his digestive system. Susana Jauregui, the senior vet at the clinic, explained that surgery was necessary due to the risk of obstruction and possible battery acid leakage. “Battery acid is highly dangerous to dogs, as are large foreign objects, especially if they’re allowed to pass into the intestine,” she said. Jauregui also praised the owners for their quick thinking and fast action, which helped make the surgery a success. "Jimmy’s a beautiful dog, and he’s lucky his owners acted so promptly." The vet on duty, Steven, performed the operation and was surprised to find the case completely undamaged, and even the charging light was still on.

Golden Retriever with Veterinary Cone Indoors. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Gabrielli Pereira)

Jimmy spent the night at the clinic and returned home the next day, wearing a cone, to prevent him from disturbing the stitches. He was also feeling, as Rachel put it, “a bit sorry for himself.” She added, “We’re not allowed to exercise him, so he has all this energy and nowhere for it to go.” Rachel said the whole experience was terrifying and hopes it serves as a warning to other dog owners. “I have been so worried about him; it's certainly a cautionary tale for other dog owners. I can't believe the AirPods still work, they've had a good clean!”

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In their sheer excitement, pet dogs often end up swallowing the last thing they should, and another recent incident is a clear example of that. A family was left stunned after their dog, Amber, accidentally swallowed a diamond wedding ring. It all began when the mother noticed her ring was missing and called her daughter in tears. After searching the house with no luck, they suspected Amber might have eaten it. Using a metal detector, the dad scanned the dog, and it beeped over her stomach. The ring was later safely recovered, and the family couldn't help but laugh at the bizarre situation.