A DOG had to undergo lifesaving emergency surgery after eating Christmas tinsel prompting a veterinary charity to issue a plea to pet owners this festive season.

Shylah, an eight-year-old cross bread from Wolverhampton, ate a metre of tinsel last Christmas after she became scared of fireworks that went off near her owner's home.

The pup's owner said they took their eyes off Shylah for "minutes" and noticed a string of tinsel was missing when they returned.

They immediately took Shylah to Wolverhampton PDSA Pet Hospital after she went off her food and became sick later that evening.

An X-ray showed tinsel inside Shylah before the entire length was pulled out (Image: PDSA) Once at the pet hospital, x-rays revealed a "large mass" in Shylah's stomach, leading vets to rush the pup into surgery.

Jane Cutler, a Senior Vet at Wolverhampton PDSA, said: "The x-ray revealed a large mass in her stomach, which we could only assume was the missing tinsel.

"She needed emergency surgery right away, as if it made its way into her intestines, it could cause potentially fatal damage.

"The operation went ahead, and we were all pretty shocked when we pulled the entire length of tinsel out of her in one piece!"

Speaking to the PDSA, Shylah's owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Shylah is my world and I was worried sick when they said she had to have surgery.

"But, they said the fact I'd acted so fast meant I'd saved things from potentially getting much worse."

The charity is urging pet owners to keep their decorations out of reach (Image: PDSA) Shylah surgery was a success and she was able to return home for Christmas day, with her owner adding: "It's safe to say that from that moment I keep all decorations well out of Shylah's reach!"

The PDSA charity has warned all pet owners to make sure their decorations are well out of paw's reach.

Ms Cutler said: "As we saw with Shylah, pets can get into all sorts of scrapes and mishaps, and you never know when they might need urgent help.

"Many of our teams work throughout the Christmas period to ensure we can always offer help to those that need it."

The PDSA said they are expecting to see around 23,000 pets over this Christmas period and are appealing for support to help keep their doors open.

Ms Cutler added: "The emergencies don't stop coming just because it's Christmas."