A puppy has lived to tell the tale after swallowing five pieces of ‘highly poisonous’ chewing gum.
Otto, a six-month-year-old miniature Dachshund, was rushed to My Family Vets at Taverham Vets following the sticky situation.
The canine had bitten off more than he could chew when he ingested five pieces of chewing gum on Saturday September, 19.
His owner, Emma Turner-Fray, a mental health advocate from Norwich, became concerned Otto could be in danger after spotting an array of chewing gum papers on the carpet.
The 44-year-old said: “He’d used a beanbag to jump onto the table and help himself. Otto stunk of mint, so we knew it was him who’d eaten it.
“There were nine pieces of gum in the pack. My daughters had had one each and there were two remaining, which meant Otto had eaten five.
“It is such a large amount for such a small dog – the vets advised us it didn’t look good.”
The chewing gum contained xylitol, which is highly poisonous to dogs, and in extreme cases can cause fatal liver damage.
Ms Turner-Fray said: “We’re really experienced, careful dog owners but we’d never even heard of xylitol before this.”
Otto was showing no symptoms but Ms Turner-Fray did not want to take any chances and he was treated within less than an hour.
The treatment required Otto to be hospitalised overnight, which left Ms Turner-Fray and her family beside with worry.
She said: “I couldn’t sleep. We were devastated – it was the not knowing. When we found out the next day that Otto’s parameters had stabilised and it was safe to go home, we were just over the moon.”
Since then, Otto, who is still taking medication, has bounced back and has not let the experience dampen his inquisitive nature.
Ms Turner-Fray said: “It’s inspiring really. It hasn’t damaged his curiosity in the slightest.
“The team at Taverham were absolutely amazing. It was the first time we’d visited the practice as out of hours clients and I was very impressed.”
When asked what advice she would offer to fellow pet owners, Ms Turner-Fray said: “You’ve got to have eyes on the back of your head. Watch where you put any edibles – you really can never be too careful.”
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