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Emergency vet saves mischievous French bulldog's life after mouth stuck together eating super glue
A mischief-making dog managed to super glue her mouth shut – before being saved by a quick-thinking vet who used olive oil and a toothbrush to get the super glue off.
Little Brie, an 18-month-old French bulldog, decided to chew on a tube of the ultra-sticky super glue which her owner Louise Welby thought was safely out of reach.
Within seconds, the super glue began to take hold. First Brie’s tongue began sticking to the roof of her mouth, then her whole jaw locked together.
With a frantic Brie getting more and more distressed and struggling to breathe, Louise, of Billericay, Essex, feared she might die.
Louise rushed Brie to pet emergency service Vets Now, where principal vet Monica Guzman used olive oil to remove the super glue.
Monica said: “When she arrived in the clinic Brie was panting heavily and very distressed. She was so upset it wasn’t possible to check her over, so we agreed with Louise to sedate her.
“The inside and outside of Brie’s mouth and lips, as well as her teeth and tongue, were absolutely covered in dry glue.
“We used a toothbrush and swabs steeped in olive oil to remove it slowly. It took a lot of scrubbing, but we eventually managed to get rid of it all.
“By the time Brie came around she was much happier and able to go home.”
Service delivery manager Louise, who lives with partner Kim, 29, said: “We’d just moved house and everything was a bit chaotic.
“I’d got the super glue out to fix Brie’s favourite toy, which is a golden ball which had split in half. I put the super glue on top of a cabinet thinking it would be safe.
“But we’d just had a sofa delivered which we propped up against the cabinet. Brie basically used the sofa as a trampoline and jumped up and got the super glue.
“She only had it a few seconds – but still managed to get her mouth stuck. It was really frightening seeing her struggling to breathe like that.”
There are two Vets Now clinics – Vets Now Ilford and Vets Now Witham – within a 35-minute drive of Louise’s home in Billericay.
Both have recently been rated as “outstanding” in the delivery of emergency and critical care by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Monica added: “Super glue is not a poisonous substance, but it is very dangerous for dogs. As Brie’s case shows chewing on a tube of super glue can cause the mouth to seal shut as it hardens when it comes into contact with saliva.
“If you your dog has eaten super glue you should seek urgent veterinary advice. Do not use solvents to try to remove it yourself as this may cause more problems than the glue itself.”
Another dog – 10-year-old Jack Russell Alfie, of Hemel Hempstead – had his jaw sealed for five hours by a Domino’s menu. The glue on the flier for the pizza firm reacted with Alfie’s saliva to form a paste which cemented his jaws.
Overall, there are 60 Vets Now clinics and pet emergency hospitals across the UK that are open through the night, seven-days-a-week, and day and night on weekends and bank holidays, to treat any pet emergencies that may occur.
All of Vets Now’s out-of-hours clinics and 24/7 hospitals have a vet and vet nurse on site at all times.