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IT sounds like a shaggy dog story, but a Birmingham vets is dealing with a staggering increase in pooches who have swallowed underpants.

Staff at White Cross, which has branches in Kings Heath, Bloxwich and Tividale, have also fished out cotton-reels, socks and slug pellets.

The business has seen a 30 per cent increase over the last six months in hounds who have wolfed-down foreign objects – with chocolate proving the greatest menace.

Staff are now urging owners to be vigilant when leaving their pets unsupervised.

Clinic Director at Kings Heath David Hough said: “In the last month alone we have treated several dogs who have accidentally ingested something they shouldn’t have.

“In many cases it happens when the dogs have been left at home on their own and we are warning owners to always leave their dogs in a safe environment where they definitely can’t get hold of any harmful substances and objects.”

The most commonly ingested items are clothing, human medication and gardening products including slug pellets and pesticides.

David added: “Dogs are naturally curious and pick everything up using their mouths so it’s inevitable that from time to time they’ll eat things they shouldn’t.

“Certain breeds are worse than others and young puppies are particularly at risk.

“When a dog swallows something it all comes down to the speed at which the dog is seen and treated.

“We recently treated one dog who had eaten a sock.

“Luckily the owner brought him in within 20 minutes and we were able to remove it without surgery.

“By day two it would have been lethargic and by day three it would have been in need of urgent medical care and costly surgical intervention.

“Unfortunately, not all cases are so easily solved.

“We also recently treated a dog that had eaten slug pellets from the garden several hours before reaching the vets, unfortunately that dog didn’t make it.”