Most dogs prefer their food in a bowl – but Monty from Faversham devoured a lead for lunch.

When Matthew Winslade put his nine-month-old chocolate labrador in his car and drove to the woods for a walk, he had no idea by the time he got there the dog would have munched his way through the one-metre lead.

The playful pup had not bitten off more than he could chew – the leash was sitting in his stomach.

Mr Winslade said: “I got him into the car to take him to the woods for a walk. By the time we got there, I opened the boot and it was just the metal clasp left.

“He was still running around like a mad thing, acting no differently at all.

“It obviously wasn’t really bothering him.

“But we took him straight to the vets and they X-rayed and operated pretty quickly.”

Mr Winslade took Monty to Toachim House Veterinary Surgery in Jubilee Way, where staff were stunned by what had happened.

"He's already eaten a pair of socks and a glove but we hope that's it now" - Matthew Winslade

Practice manager Stacey Van Gent said: “He came in and the owner knew he had swallowed it.

“Monty seemed very bright when he came in, but he was a bit wriggly.

“He didn’t seem to be in much pain.

“We had to operate straight away after an X-ray confirmed the lead was inside him.

“There could have been big issues if it had been left inside and gone through the gut.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years working here, but he was back to normal in no time at all.”

Mr Winslade, who also owns springer spaniel Maisie, said: “Monty is quite a character. He’s already eaten a pair of socks and a glove but we hope that’s it now.”

Just last week, vets operated on a dog with stomach cramps to find he had swallowed a 6in teddy bear.

Husky Ramsez gobbled the cuddly toy in a quiet corner before falling seriously ill at the Dogs Trust in Canterbury.

He was taken into theatre for life-saving surgery where vets were stunned to find the remains of the teddy bear in the dog’s intestine.