North Thoresby vet saves dog after takeaway leaflet trauma

Trett, a 12-year-old Bedlington Terrier cross Westie, was rushed to Eastfield Veterinary Hospital in North Thoresby after owners came home to find their pet’s mouth was glued shut.

The cheeky pooch had eaten a takeaway flyer and the glossy paper had reacted with her saliva, forming a strong glue-like substance that clamped her mouth shut.

It left Trett, who lives with owners Nicola North and Andre Desertiaux in Grimsby, in a stressed state and struggling to breathe.

Miss North praised the Eastfield veterinary team and admitted it was a highly distressing episode.

She said: “When we got home we knew something was wrong with Trett. She didn’t greet us in her usual happy way and the problem became obvious when I tried to give her a treat and realised she could not open her mouth.

“We have visited Eastfield Vets for a long time now and they were our first point of call. We can not thank the team enough. They acted fast and made sure Trett and ourselves were reassured throughout the process.”

Veterinary nurse Heather Sparks, who helped to treat Trett, said: “Although this is quite common, we had never seen anything like this before at our practice.

“We received a call from the owners and were on stand-by for their arrival.

“This was an emergency situation as the immediate risk was that the dog was having difficulty breathing.

“We couldn’t sedate Trett as there was a danger this would affect her breathing even more.

“It took more than 30 minutes to soak the sticky material in her mouth and, using dental equipment, we were eventually able to scrape the substance off her teeth and gums, freeing her jaws.

“Although this was a stressful situation for Trett and it was evident she was uncomfortable, she remained very calm throughout the process and gave a huge yawn of relief when we were able to remove the substance.

“We carried out further tests and examinations to see if the leaflet had caused any further damage but Trett was fit and healthy and returned home that same day.”

Ms Sparks added: “We would strongly advise any owners who suspect that their dogs have eaten similar leaflets to contact a vet straight away for advice.”

Trett’s owners rescued her when she was five.

Miss North said: “Trett is now back home with us, fit and well and we will most certainly take steps to stop this from happening again.

“We have bought a cage for the back of our letter box so no more leaflets can be chewed.”