A Doberman was forced to undergo life-saving surgery after swallowing five golf balls, it has been reported.
The dog's owner Graham Saysell became concerned after Zac the doberman showed signs of feeling a little under par.
After being rushed to the vets, an X-Ray revealed five golf balls in Zac's gut. Vets believe they could have been there for up to six months, with Zac swallowing them on several different occasions.
While the balls remained in Zac's stomach the dog displayed no obvious symptoms of discomfort, but once they worked their way down the Doberman's gut he began to whimper and vomit, the owner said.
Zac then needed a £2,000 operation, lasting over two hours at Heathcote Veterinary Centre in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Surgeons only gave him a 50 per cent chance of survival.
Saysell believes Zac swallowed the golf balls during his daily walk around Leamington County Golf Club. He told the Daily Mail:
"It would've been devastating if he had died because we lost another dog, Max, at this time last year.
"It's incredibly upsetting when your pet is ill because they can't tell you what is wrong. When you look at the size of the golf balls it amazes me he managed to swallow one let alone five.
"We had no idea what was wrong with him. We took him to the vets on Monday morning and they were extremely worried.
"So they took an X-ray and found he had five golf balls in his stomach. They operated immediately but it was very touch and go. The op almost killed him as they had to cut very close to his pancreas.
"Thankfully he has made a full recovery and seems to be more boisterous than ever. I still don't know why he likes to eat golf balls - he probably thinks they're treats."
Zac isn't the first dog to swallow golf balls. An Alsatian who collected balls for his owner whilst working at a Manchester Golf club swallowed 28 gold balls. When the dog walked into the vets they didnt even have to do an X ray as they could hear the golf balls rattling around.