Dog’s mouth glued shut after chewing on glossy leaflet

27 December 2017

A Jack Russell was saved from a sticky situation by PDSA vets after munching on a glossy leaflet that glued his teeth together.

Oscar, 10, had to be rushed to the charity’s Blackpool Pet Hospital for emergency treatment after he was unable to open his mouth.

The beloved pet was given a general anaesthetic so that PDSA vets could remove the “papier mâché like” substance, which had glued his jaws shut.

PDSA vet Rachel Smith said: “Oscar was brought into us in an extremely distressed state. Chewing the leaflet had turned into a sticky wallpaper-like substance inside his mouth, which had glued his teeth together.

“Once he was anaesthetised, we used our dentistry equipment to remove it from his mouth.

“Thankfully he made a good recovery and he was able to go home the same day.”

The health scare comes as new PDSA research reveals one-in-ten pet owners face an emergency trip to the vets over the Christmas period*

Owner Pat Finnerty, 55, of Marton Moss, said she had gone shopping with her daughter, and returned home around an hour later to find Oscar in an extremely anxious state.

She said: “I brought him back a treat and he wanted to eat it, but he couldn’t open his mouth and there was all this saliva everywhere.

“When I looked closer at his mouth, I could see that he couldn’t open his jaw but I didn’t know what it was. I then noticed a chewed up leaflet that must have been posted through the letterbox and realised what had happened.”

They contacted PDSA and were advised to bring Oscar straight to the Pet Hospital in Hawes Side Lane.

Pat said she was hugely grateful to PDSA for the treatment Oscar received and now takes extra precautions to prevent him going for the mail again:

“He hasn’t learned his lesson and, given the chance, he still tries to get the post. I now take extra care to shut the door between the lounge and the front door when I go out. Oscar means the world to us, so I don’t want him getting into trouble again!”

PDSA vets advise taking steps to ensure pets can’t get at any mail such as keeping hallway doors shut or using a letter cage on the inside of the front door. Letters and leaflets dropping through the door can be particularly enticing for dogs as they often like to explore new items with their mouths. Of particular concern at this time of year would be any packages containing chocolate or other potentially dangerous foods.

Every December, pet wellbeing charity PDSA cares for 50,000 pets in need. Demand for its vital services never stops.

*All figures are from the Christmas Pets survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of PDSA. Fieldwork was undertaken online between 22-23 November 2017. Total sample size was 2,082 UK adults. Figures of vet visits are for dog, cat and rabbit owners, with a sample size of 973. The Christmas period was defined as the beginning of December to the beginning of January.