A dog who managed to cement its mouth shut after chewing on superglue was thankfully saved by a common household item. The puppy was rescued from the perilous predicament thanks to a vet's smart thinking to use olive oil to dissolve the glue.
The incident occurred when the Cocker Spaniel came across a tube of superglue in a bin at his home in Newcastle. Bleu soon found himself in a sticky situation when upon chewing on the packet he managed to cement his mouth shut.
The 20-week-old pup was rushed to the vet by his owner Cali Coulson, who had been tidying up at the time, reports Chronicle Live. Thankfully for Cali and Blue, some smart thinking from Vets4Pets Bedlington Practice Owner and Veterinary Surgeon, Dr Robert Dorward, the problem was soon solved.
After sedating the dog, the Dr used swabs soaked in olive oil to gently dissolve all the glue from Bleu's lips, teeth and tongue. Eventually, Bleu came back around as if nothing had happened and was discharged with minimal aftercare needed.
Dr Dorward just advised his owner to monitor him closely and feed him a soft diet. Despite the ease in solving the problem, the vet admits it could have been a lot worse.
Dr Robert Dorward said: "Bleu was a very lucky puppy as superglue can be very dangerous if swallowed. Thankfully, he was brought in to us quickly and I was able to draw on knowledge from an emergency medicine course, to immediately use olive oil to remove the glue from his mouth.
"If that trick didn't work, Bleu would have needed extensive surgery to his mouth and tongue to remove the glue and would have ended up with an intensive recovery period over several months
"It always puts a smile on my face when we're able to help a beloved pet make a speedy recovery and cases like this make me incredibly proud of our brilliant team and clinical facilities here in Bedlington."
Dr Robert insists the superglue was by far from the strangest item the veterinary team has seen a dog eat. He added: "The strangest thing we had in practice was a dog who ate a whole set of Christmas tree lights – we really do see it all!
"We'd always recommend visiting your vet if you’re worried your dog may have eaten something they shouldn't have and advise you look out for warning signs such as groaning, a gurgly tummy, or an inability to keep down food or fluids."
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