Pet ferret in Leeds makes "miraculous" recovery after going through wash
A pet ferret has made a "miraculous'' recovery after going through a full cycle in his owners' washing machine.
Two-year-old Bandit was given a 1% chance of survival after he sneaked into Josh Crosse and Jackie Redfern's machine and underwent a 100-minute wash.
He was taken to Vets4Pets Leeds Colton from his home in Halton, West Yorkshire, where he received emergency treatment.
"Bandit was in a pretty bad way when he came in, but the team here got to work quickly to try and save his life,'' said veterinary surgeon David Massey.
"His owners' quick-thinking upon realising the situation also helped ensure we could prevent a tragedy.
"Amazingly, within four hours of being admitted he took a few gentle steps, which is when we started to become confident that he would make a good, and miraculous, recovery.''
Bandit suffered a collapsed lung and bruising in the incident, but has since made a full recovery.
Ms Redfern said: "The few hours we spent at home awaiting the dreaded call from Vets4Pets Leeds Colton went so slowly.
"After those few long hours we had a call to say Bandit was responding positively to treatment, but that he would need to be kept in overnight at the nearest vet hospital.
"His brother, Mikey, had been quiet for two days but, as soon as Bandit was back, he immediately perked up and seemed to want to take care of his sibling and was constantly by his side.''
Mr Massey said: "While this situation is thankfully extremely rare, washing machines and tumble dryers can often be a place our furry friends can seek out, particularly during colder weather when they might be looking for a cosy place to curl up.''