A 28-year-old woman from Rumst, Belgium, accidentally swallowed a 17-centimetre-long spoon while eating yoghurt after her dog jumped on her lap. Reymy Amelinckx said she had to choose between choking or swallowing the utensil as it slid down her throat.
The incident occurred when Ms Amelinckx was sitting on the couch with the yoghurt, holding the spoon in her mouth to free her hands to reply to a message. Her Hungarian Vizsla, Marley, suddenly jumped on her, causing her to jerk her head back and lodge the spoon in her throat.
Initially too embarrassed to tell her boyfriend, she pretended nothing was wrong. However, after researching online, she realised the severity and went to the emergency room. Doctors determined the spoon was too large to pass naturally and scheduled a gastroscopy two days later.
The procedure, performed under local anaesthetic, required the spoon to be rotated in her stomach, causing a small gastric haemorrhage. Ms Amelinckx experienced relief upon removal and recovered quickly, though she had a sore throat, minor gastric bleeding, and a sensitive stomach temporarily.
She kept the spoon as a keepsake, with her boyfriend planning to turn it into a work of art. Ms Amelinckx advises others to avoid multitasking with animals and to seek immediate medical attention if something is swallowed accidentally.
