A DOG was rushed to the vet for emergency treatment after eating a discarded face mask.

Now her furious owner has warned others to be on their guard after the incident at Bournemouth's Iford playing fields.

Storm, a cross between a Labradoodle and a Springer Spaniel, made a beeline for the mask as owner Luke Arterton walked her on New Year's Day.

He said: "I know it sounds horrible but she likes fox poo and the mask appeared to be covered in it. I think someone must have trodden in it and used the mask to wipe it off their shoes."

Three-year-old Storm then thought it was a game as Luke and a passer-by tried to take the mask from her.

But she swallowed it before they could stop her.

Luke, of Ashford Road, Bournemouth, said: "When I got home I was worried and decided to have a look online. I didn't know if it was a surgical mask with metal in it.

"The advice was to take her straight to a vet, which I did."

Luke said Storm was given an injection to make her vomit and the mask came out.

He added: "It was all over and done with in around an hour. If it had been left much longer it could have pierced her intestines or she would have had to have an operation to get it out."

Storm was given a second injection after vomiting and has since made a full recovery.

Luke said he has seen several face masks on the ground while out walking and urged people to dispose of them responsibly.

"I also want to warn dog owners because this may be something they haven't thought about. The vet was furious when I told him what had happened."