AN animal charity is offering barbecue safety tips after a brave rescue dog bit off more than she could chew.

Whisp the lurcher is now recovering well after vets removed a kebab skewer which was lodged in inside her stomach.

She arrived at a Dorset animal rescue centre as a stray earlier this year, having a health check and operation to remove a lung.

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 stitches taken out in a couple of weeks.”

Helen Chittock, manager of the Margaret Green Animal Rescue centre, said: “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 barbecue.”

The charity has now put together its top 3 tips for keeping your dog safe:

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 barbecue... 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.

If you are worried about the health of your pet, please contact your vet immediately.