A north-east woman is chalking it up to experience after she was charged more than a thousand pounds, when her dog swallowed a pool ball.
Lorna Gerrie, from Kemnay, had to dip into her pockets and pay out £1,200 for an operation to remove the ball from her black labrador, Max.
The 38-year-old only discovered something was wrong, when the pooch was visibly in discomfort and then sick.
The mother-of-four subsequently took the pet to Donview Veterinary Centre in Inverurie.
Following an x-ray, a vet carried out an operation on the animal, where, much to the shock of the surgeons involved, it was discovered Max had swallowed a number 10 ball.
Ms Gerrie, who is now helping Max recover at home, said: “We just couldn’t believe it. We’ve never had a snooker table or anything like that so we don’t know where it came from – it’s just a total mystery.
“It was like having a newborn baby. I had to sleep on the sofa with him.
“Every time you left him, he started crying. I think he was just doing it for attention.”
Ms Gerrie was left snookered when she was met with the bill, but that does not mean the four-legged family member will be missing out on Christmas treats.
The family even got to keep the ball as a reminder of the incident.
Ms Gerrie added: “He’s getting a new collar and a new dog tag. I lost my last dog, so Max has been spoiled rotten – he gets away with murder.”
Charlie Carnochan is director of the Donview vets. He said: “Once every couple of weeks we get a dog that’s eaten something stupid.
“I’ve had tennis balls, bouncy balls and we regularly get cats with string – but I’ve never had a pool ball.
“We didn’t have a clue what it was until we took it out, and then once we saw the number 10 we knew what it was.
“Really the recovery is waiting for the wounds to heal. It takes less than two weeks and they’re back to normal.”