A PLAYFUL puppy has defied medical odds after swallowing a ten-inch wooden arrow and living to tell the tale.Amazingly, five-month-old Summer-June escaped unscathed when the potentially lethal toy avoided all her vital organs as it lodged in her stomach.

A PLAYFUL puppy has defied medical odds after swallowing a ten-inch wooden arrow and living to tell the tale.

Amazingly, five-month-old Summer-June escaped unscathed when the potentially lethal toy avoided all her vital organs as it lodged in her stomach.

The pup is thought to have been playing with the arrow when it snapped and she swallowed the bigger half. But she was left with only mild discomfort and her condition initially baffled vets and her owners.

However, an x-ray found the arrow, complete with rubber suction pad at the end, enabling experts to carry out a successful operation to remove it.

Simon Culmstock , partner at Long Melford-based Swayne and Partners, said Summer-June had been “incredibly lucky”.

He said: “With something like this, you normally find that the sharp, broken end perforates the stomach or gullet and causes massive peritonitis which usually means the puppy will not survive.

“The whole thing is a bit of a mystery. No one knows how it got down the gullet, as it is quite large. Summer-June was very lucky - she has made a marvellous recovery.”

Owner Leanne Heffer, from Haverhill, said: “How she managed to carry on for a few days with an arrow inside her is beyond me - it is a miracle she is still alive.”