NEW YORK, March 13 (UPI) -- A New York man said veterinarians conducted life-saving surgery to remove 111 pennies from his dog's stomach.
Tim Kelleher said Jack, his Jack Russell terrier, ingested the $1.11 in pennies while trying to eat bagel remains from his desk Friday, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.
"He climbed on my desk to get at the bag with the bagel and knocked the change all over the floor. While he was licking up the crumbs, he swallowed the pennies," Kelleher said.
He said veterinarians at BluePearl Veterinary Partners were worried the zinc in the coins could pose a lethal threat to the 13-year-old dog's liver and kidneys, so the pennies removed in a two-hour operation.
"If Jack would not have had the pennies removed the consequences would have been fatal," Dr. Amy Zalcman said.
Kelleher said Jack is recovering nicely from the procedure.
"He's doing great," Kelleher said Tuesday. "He's driving me crazy again."