A young dog owner has discovered why her pet was so slow - he ate everything she threw during a game of 'fetch'.
Olivia Parkinson, aged eight, took Barney to the vets who opened up his tummy to find six golf ball-sized rocks, five large twigs and whole crab apples.
She told the Mirror: "I could never understand why, when we played fetch, he would return empty-mouthed. Now I know."
Olivia, of Balsall Common, West Midlands, became concerned when she heard clanking coming from the springer spaniel.
Dad Andrew, 42, said: "We thought she was making it up. But when I heard it I couldn't believe my ears. It was like rocks in a sieve being shaken around."
Vet Natasha Bright said: "The sheer amount of stones in him shocked everyone here. But he was very lucky. There's no way he could have passed them. If it had gone on much longer he could have died."
Olivia now keeps the remains of Barney's strange diet in a jar. - Ananova.com