A dog has undergone a life-saving operation after swallowing a six-inch long rib bone.

One-year-old mastiff Chico wolfed down the cow rib bone in one, causing it to become stuck near his own ribcage.

Owner Craig Anderson took him to PDSA's Glasgow Shamrock Street pet hospital where vets performed an emergency operation to remove the bone.

Senior PDSA vet Susie Hermit said: "I've never seen an X-ray like it before, the position of the bone really did look like Chico had an extra rib.

"Amazingly, he'd managed to swallow the bone whole but didn't seem to be in any pain.

"However, we knew we had to carry out emergency surgery to remove it because it could have caused a life-threatening tear to his stomach or intestines."

Mr Anderson, 41, from Newlands, Glasgow, bought the rib bone for his pet as a treat.

He said: "I thought if I supervised him it would be fine but he literally swallowed it in one mouthful. He seemed fine but I knew he wouldn't be able to digest it properly so I took him straight to PDSA.

"I was so worried while he was in the operating theatre. It's a miracle the bone didn't cause any damage.

"It goes without saying but I don't give bones to him any more after this. It's definitely a case of once bitten, twice shy."

The PDSA warned owners against giving pets bones as they can cause digestive tract damage and blockages which require surgery and can be fatal.

Bones were the most common items removed from pets' stomachs by PDSA vets last year, with 59 cases seen.

They also dealt with 29 cases involving corn on the cob and 28 pets swallowing stones.