Nero the pastry chef

By Zoe Levesque | Dated July 9, 2026

Beautiful Nero, a 6-year-old Labrador, recently visited our clinic after developing vomiting and abdominal discomfort a few days after swallowing the silicone head of a pastry brush. Given his history and clinical signs, there was a strong suspicion of a gastrointestinal foreign body, so Nero was admitted for sedation and abdominal radiographs.

Can you find the foreign body?

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His X-rays revealed the silicone pastry brush head sitting within his stomach. The stomach was significantly distended, indicating that the foreign object was causing a gastric outflow obstruction and was unable to pass naturally.

To prevent the silicone head from moving into the small intestine and causing a potentially life-threatening intestinal blockage, the decision was made to surgically remove it. Thankfully, Nero’s surgery went very smoothly, and the pastry brush head was successfully retrieved. As you can see from the photo, it was removed almost completely intact—proof that Nero didn’t even stop to chew it before swallowing!

Nero is now recovering well and is expected to make a full recovery.

His story is an important reminder that some dogs, particularly Labradors, have a habit of eating almost anything they can get their paws on. Unfortunately, swallowing non-food items can quickly become a surgical emergency.

If your dog has swallowed a foreign object or is showing signs such as vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, lethargy, or repeated attempts to vomit, don’t wait to see if the problem resolves on its own. Prompt veterinary assessment can make all the difference and may help prevent a life-threatening obstruction.