A Florida shelter dog went in for an X-ray on a broken leg, but veterinarians quickly discovered his injury was only part of the problem.
Edward, a 5-year-old Chihuahua mix being cared for by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, stunned the shelter’s medical team when scans revealed a mysterious metallic object lodged inside his stomach.
Staff originally believed they were dealing with a fractured leg. But during the exam, vets spotted foreign objects in both Edward’s stomach and colon.
The object in his colon was expected to pass naturally. The one in his stomach was far more dangerous.
According to Nash McCutchen, the shelter’s director of marketing and design, the stomach object could have become life-threatening if it moved into Edward’s intestines.
That meant the little dog needed emergency surgery.
The twist? The strange object turned out to be an 18k gold star necklace.
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay later shared Edward’s wild story on Facebook, posting images of his X-rays and the necklace removed from his stomach. The post quickly grabbed attention online, with hundreds of people reacting to the bizarre discovery.
“One emergency surgery later and the mystery foreign body was an 18k gold star necklace,” the shelter wrote.
But Edward’s medical journey is not over yet.
The dog is also suffering from anemia, meaning his body does not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen properly. Because of that, vets said he was not strong enough to undergo both the abdominal surgery and a leg amputation at the same time.
“He would not have survived both abdominal surgery and a leg amputation at the same time,” McCutchen explained.
For now, the shelter is waiting for Edward’s blood levels to improve before moving forward with the next surgery.
Despite everything, Edward is reportedly doing well. He is eating, walking, staying comfortable, and showing the kind of spirit that has made his story so touching to animal lovers.
Online commenters could not resist joking about the strange gold discovery.
“Now you can sell it to pay for the surgery. Kinda like a freebie,” one person wrote.
“That’s one way to pay for a surgery!” another joked.
A third commenter added that Edward “kind of paid for his own surgery.”
For a shelter dog already facing a broken leg and serious surgery, Edward’s golden surprise has turned into one of the strangest rescue stories the Humane Society has seen in a while.