A PLAYFUL puppy bit off more than he could chew after eating three dog collars while he was messing around with his brothers and sisters.

Eight-week-old golden retriever Dougie managed to swallow one red, one orange and one green collar behind his owners' backs.

But the mischievous pup had a lucky escape after they rushed him to the vet, where he had emergency surgery.

Dougie’s owners Kerry and Rick Savage from Stockton Heath were persuaded to adopt him by their three children, Jen, Joe and Emily.

Kerry said: “Rick grew up with dogs and was keen to get one as a pet, spurred on by our children, particularly Emily.

“We heard about a friend’s dog who was having pups and decided to go and see them. We saw Dougie and couldn’t resist as he’s so sweet.

“We picked up Dougie and initially he was fine, but then become poorly and very lethargic.

"We took him to Sean the vet and x-rays revealed that he had swallowed three collars which had been worn by his siblings."

The family rushed the newest member of their family to Beech House surgery on Wilderspool Causeway.

Vet Sean Cleary operated on the puppy and said it was lucky his owners had acted so quickly: “The collars had formed a knot and could have caused a rupture of Dougie’s bowel if they hadn’t been removed.

"He was not a happy dog when he came in because he was trying to vomit but couldn’t. Because the collars had formed a large ball we had to make an incision in Dougie’s stomach to remove it.

“One of the collars had started to make its way to Dougie’s small intestine and could had been very serious but luckily we were able to remove them in time.

“Dougie is a very lucky dog and is fortunately making a great recovery.”

He added that dogs frequently eat objects they should not, from nibbling branches off the Christmas tree to chomping corn on the cob, and owners should take their pets to the vet immediately if they are worried.