Bedlington vet uses kitchen ingredient to help puppy which superglued his mouth closed

Owner Cali Coulson was tidying up at home when the mischievous pup, called Bleu, helped himself to the glue packet from the bin.

Luckily for the dog, who is just 20 weeks old, the team at Vets4Pets Bedlington 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.

Dr Robert used olive oil to dissolve the glue from the pup’s lips, teeth and tongue. He then had to ensure no glue had been swallowed – all while making sure Bleu was not distressed.

After 20 minutes under sedation while the procedure was carried out, Bleu came round as if nothing had happened.

He was therefore able to be discharged with minimal aftercare, and Cali was just asked to keep an eye on the inquisitive pup and feed him a soft diet.

Dr 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.”

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.”