Adelaide vets have been shocked at finding a whole metal fork lodged in a pet dog's stomach.

"Never a dull moment in the ER ... we often get surprised too!," the Adelaide Animal Emergency & Referral Centre wrote on Facebook.

"Imagine getting the call: 'I think my dog ate a fork!'.

"A FORK you say? Really? Are you sure? Is it a plastic one? Or a metal one? A baby fork? Or a large Maxwell Williams one your in-laws bought as a wedding gift?

"Either way ... that's incredible, but an absolute emergency all in one, so you'd better bring him in."

When Dustin arrived at the centre vets discovered the five-month-old golden retriever had indeed swallowed a pronged piece of dinnerware whole.

They managed to remove it with an endoscope rather than having to resort to surgery, and shared a video of the procedure.

One woman on Facebook said the incident was a real eye-opener for other pet owners and a "slap of reality".

Another pet owner said it was typical of a golden retriever, with hers having to visit the vet annually for swallowing something.

"But never anything like a fork," she said.

Originally published as 'Incredible' find in dog's stomach