Labrador has huge 10cm bladder stone which weighed 225g removed by Yorkshire vets

Senior vet Fraser Reddick gave Marley a pat on the side while she was being operated on for an unrelated condition and felt an unusual lump in her abdomen. After further investigation, an ultrasound scan and x-ray confirmmed the huge 220g stone, which measured 10cm by 7cm by 5cm.

Fraser, who works at Chantry Vets in Wakefield, said: “It is not uncommon to have a build-up of stones, but this is probably the biggest one I have seen in about 20 years of being a vet. It is massive. I am planning to make it into a paperweight. There were quite a lot of smaller stones which were still a fair size. Marley recovered well and went home the same day. She is brighter and comfortable and has been back in for two checks which showed she is doing well.

“The surgery has obviously had an immediate effect as Marley has shown a significant improvement in her urination. I expect this to continue to improve as the bladder was chronically inflamed and stretched so will take time to return completely to normal.”

Marley is now back home with her owners Carol Thorpe and David Chappell and is enjoying a new lease of life.

Carol, who has had Marley since she was seven months old, said: “When we got there and saw the big stone it was unbelievable. We were both mesmerized. They are actual stones like pebbles on a beach – and the size of them. Poor little Marley - they must’ve been weighing her down.

“There had been no signs apart from that she used to urinate little and often. We just thought that was to do with her getting older. Marley now has a new lease of life. She is a lot calmer. You can tell she is so different. She goes to urinate straight away, and she seems so much better in herself.

“We have been with Chantry Vets for years and years, and it’s a good job because of what happened to Marley. They have been brilliant with her, and Marley likes them; she is not scared of going to the vets as some animals are.”