A Cocker Spaniel puppy named Bleu ended up in surgery after chewing a tube of superglue and cementing his mouth shut. Owner Cali Coulson was tidying up at home when the pup got his paws on the glue packet from the bin.
Luckily for Bleu, who is just twenty weeks old, the team at Vets4Pets were on hand to help, and thanks to some quick thinking from Practice Owner and Veterinary Surgeon, Dr Robert Dorward, the glue was removed with minimal fuss. The vet team first sedated Bleu in order to treat him safely and prevent him from becoming distressed.
Once Bleu was sedated, vets were able to assess the back of his throat and airways to ensure no glue had been swallowed. Dr Robert then used swabs soaked in olive oil to gently dissolve all the glue from Bleu’s lips, teeth and tongue.
After 20 minutes under sedation while the procedure was carried out, Bleu came around as if nothing had happened and was discharged with minimal aftercare needed, just advice to his owner to monitor him closely and feed him a soft diet.
Dr Robert Dorward, Practice Owner and Veterinary Surgeon at Vets4Pets 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.”
According to Dr Robert, this is far from the strangest item the veterinary team has seen a dog eat, adding: “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.”
