A Doberman pinscher is recuperating at home after eating nearly three wristwatches and spending two days in an animal hospital.
Michele Parkinson and Jeff Courcelle took their dog, Mocha, to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center after seeing bits and pieces of watches on the floor of their Salem home.
Mocha was admitted April 16 and endured a three-hour endoscopic procedure that allowed doctors to see inside her stomach. Doctors were able to remove some pieces from Mocha's stomach, but then used a wait-and-see approach for the rest of the materials, the MSPCA said.
"We basically allowed nature to take its course and, over a period of several days, Mocha eliminated another pound of broken leather straps, buckles, and various other metal pieces," Dr. Zachary Crouse said in a statement. "We were especially cautious and wanted to avoid surgery — given her history."
Mocha had been to the hospital in August 2014 when she swallowed a plastic juice container lid that required emergency surgery to resolve.
"I was extremely concerned that she would need another surgery — and worried about the long-term impact such a procedure could have, given that she'd already had a foreign body surgically removed not even one year ago," Parkinson said.
On Monday, Mocha returned for a checkup. While there are still pieces of watch inside her, doctors said she appeared to be on the mend.
Rebecca Fiore can be reached at rebecca.fiore@globe.com.