A BRAVE rescue dog was feeling a bit ruff- after biting off more than she could chew at a barbecue. 

Whisp the Lurcher is recoving well at home after vets removed a kebab skewer which was lodged in her insides. 

Whisp the Lurcher arrived at Margaret Green Animal Rescue as a stray earlier this year.

At the time, she had a health check and operation to remove a lung but vets did not find anything else.

Whisp’s owner, Lauren, said: “I sensed that something wasn’t quite right with Whisp a few weeks after she came home. I immediately took her to the vets and they found a huge kebab skewer.

"Luckily it has now been removed and Whisp is recovering well. She goes back to have her stiches taken out in a couple of weeks.”

With BBQ season well and truly upon us, Margaret Green Animal Rescue is keen to stress the importance of keeping your pets safe from potential hazards.

Manager of the Margaret Green Animal Rescue dog rescue centre near Bere Regis, Helen Chittock, explains: “Kebab skewers pose a huge risk as dogs could fall on one that was sticking up, just as we believe Whisp did, or they could even swallow them. They can also get injured from cooked bones or sustain burn injuries from stealing piping hot food from the BBQ.”

The charity has put together its top 3 tips for keeping your dog safe at a BBQ:

1. Party food is not for pets. Make sure you establish boundaries and keep food and drink out of reach - your dog should not be sneaking sizzling sausages from the BBQ! Dripping grease can also be tasty for dogs, so make sure they don’t tuck into some gravel that’s been coated in yummy fat from the cooking meat. Alcohol and corn on the cob can be particularly dangerous for your pet.

2. Don’t feed your dog cooked bones. It can be tempting to give your dog a treat but cooked bones can shatter easily, cause choking or injury and could get stuck or puncture your dog’s digestive tract.

3. Keep your rubbish out of reach. Some dogs are excellent as sniffing out scrumptious leftovers but aluminium foil, plastic wrapping, matches and kebab skewers can be very dangerous if your pet gets hold of them.

No one will ever know exactly how Whisp ended up abandoned with a large kebab skewer inside her, but one thing is for sure, with Lauren looking out for her, she’s now one lucky lady. If you are worried about the health of your pet, please contact your vet immediately.