A Croydon vet has come to the rescue after a dog was on the verge of death after eating gravel from her owner’s garden.

Bella, a one-year-old French bulldog, was rushed to the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals in Croydon (PDSA) after her owner, Victoria, 37, noticed she had suddenly gone off her food and was being constantly sick.

When PDSA vets examined the pet they felt something in her abdomen and Victoria immediately feared the worst.

“I took Bella for a check-up because she wasn’t herself at all," she said.

"She started snapping at us and couldn’t keep anything down.

“I wondered if she’d eaten something odd or had worms but then the vets said they could feel a mass in her stomach and I just broke down.”

An x-ray soon revealed the true cause of Bella’s woes. She’d eaten a large collection of gravel stones.

PDSA vet, Laura Heaps said: “Bella’s condition was very worrying, she was very lethargic and was suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting.

"We examined her and could feel something in her stomach and to be sure what it was, we x-rayed her.

“When we saw the images on the screen we couldn’t believe our eyes.

“You could clearly see the gravel in her stomach and colon. Luckily because the stones were so small and unlikely to cause a fatal blockage we were able to avoid surgery."

The vets still had to get the stones out though.

Bella was given fluids and laxatives to try and flush her system. This did the trick and was allowed home the following day.

“Bella was out of sorts for a couple of days but she was soon was back to her normal self," Victoria said.

"I can’t thank PDSA enough for the fantastic treatment she received. I’m keeping a close eye on her now to make sure it doesn’t happen again."

“She’s quite an inquisitive dog and is into everything so I’ve cleared the garden to try and ensure there are no gravel stones she can get her little paws on.”