What began as a painful limp turned into a life-saving discovery for a small stray dog in Florida.
Edward, a 5-year-old Chihuahua mix, arrived at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay on May 7 after a good Samaritan reported that he was limping and appeared to be in pain.
Veterinarians initially focused on the injury to his leg. But while reviewing X-rays, they uncovered something far more concerning hidden inside his body.
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay first shared Edward’s story in a Facebook post on May 13, revealing how a routine examination quickly became an emergency.
“Edward came to us as a stray on May 7 with a painful limp,” the shelter wrote.
While reviewing the dog’s X-rays, veterinarians noticed an unexpected object in his colon. Fortunately, it did not appear to require immediate intervention.
“We noticed something unexpected in his colon,” the shelter explained. “Given its location, we decided to monitor it closely and let it take the ‘southbound route’ on its own.”
But the veterinary team decided to investigate further.
“Just to be safe, we took full-body X-rays,” the shelter wrote. That’s when they discovered what the post described as “a SECOND, LARGER foreign body sitting in his stomach.”
The finding immediately changed Edward’s treatment plan.
“While taking X-rays for the fracture, our veterinarian discovered foreign bodies in both his stomach and colon,” Nash McCutchen, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay’s director of marketing and design, told Newsweek. “The object in his colon was expected to pass safely on its own, but the one in his stomach posed a life-threatening risk if it moved into his intestines.”
With no time to lose, Edward was rushed into emergency abdominal surgery.
“Our vet team had to perform emergency surgery to save his life,” McCutchen said.
Only after surgeons removed the object did they learn exactly what had been sitting inside the dog’s stomach.
“One emergency surgery later and the mystery foreign body was ...” the Humane Society wrote in its Facebook update before revealing the answer: an 18-karat gold star necklace.
The shelter shared photos showing Edward wrapped in a blue blanket, the X-ray image that revealed the object and the necklace after it was removed.
As unusual as the discovery was, it was only one part of Edward’s medical journey.
According to the Humane Society and People, Edward also needed to be neutered and undergo multiple dental extractions. He was also suffering from anemia, which complicated his treatment.
Because of his condition, veterinarians could not safely perform every procedure at once.
“He would not have survived both abdominal surgery and a leg amputation at the same time,” McCutchen explained. “We are currently waiting for his blood levels to regenerate before moving forward with the amputation surgery.”
Despite everything he has endured, Edward’s recovery has been encouraging.
“Despite the fracture, Edward is comfortable, pain-free and able to move around,” McCutchen said. He added that the dog remains in good spirits, enjoys going on walks and is eating well while recovering.
The May 13 Facebook post quickly gained attention online. According to Newsweek, many commenters responded with humor after learning what surgeons had removed from Edward’s stomach.
One commenter wrote, “Now you can sell it to pay for the surgery. Kinda like a freebie.”
Another joked, “That’s one way to pay for a surgery!”
The Humane Society concluded its update with a reminder that many dog owners know all too well:
“This is your reminder that dogs will, in fact, eat literally anything.”
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