Sticky situation averted by vets after Eastbourne dog's gnashers stuck together

The nine-year-old Norfolk Terrier cross, called Gucci, was panting and panicking when she arrived at Linnaeus-owned St Anne’s Vets in Eastbourne, Sussex.

Owner Evelyn Inglis, from Eastbourne, is convinced her precious pet would have died if she hadn’t been at home to react immediately.

Evelyn said: “I had ordered a small package from Amazon and Gucci went for it as soon as the envelope was pushed through the letter box.

“I was there straightaway telling her to drop it, but it was too late. The damage had already been done.

“I could see she had cardboard in between her teeth and then realised to my horror that the glue seal on the envelope had stuck her teeth and mouth together.

“I tried my best to get the cardboard out but it was stuck fast and Gucci was panting hard and panicking.

“You can imagine what state I was in. It frightened the life out of me. It was so stressful and nerve-racking.”

Evelyn called the expert team at St Anne’s and was told to immediately take Gucci down to the surgery.

She added: “Gucci was so distressed when we arrived. She had to be sedated so they could examine her and then somehow try to remove the glue.

“The vet explained that it was Gucci’s saliva that had reacted with the glue and stuck her teeth together.”

St Anne’s vet Dorin Harmanas said: “The glue from the packaging mixed with Gucci’s saliva glued her canines completely shut.

“She was unable to open her mouth at all and was extremely scared and distressed. She was an emergency case and it was vital for us to try and remove the glue and get her mouth open.

“It was a challenging situation. When you have a patient who has their teeth glued together, you have no way to maintain their airways if the patient goes into respiratory distress.

“Also, if the patient vomits, that can also block their airway so it was very lucky that Gucci’s owner was there at the time and acted so quickly in getting her to us.

“Gucci was admitted immediately and we sedated her and then set to work on trying to get the glue off her canines. The glue was really stuck on hard and even our dental tools weren’t getting us anywhere.

“Next, we tried using suture material as a flossing tool to try and get in between the teeth but that didn’t work either.

“We then tried a spray we use to remove sticky bandages from patients’ fur so it doesn’t hurt them.

“We sprayed some onto a cotton bud and held it onto the glue and, eventually, we managed to break down the glue and gradually separate Gucci’s canines.

“Gucci was allowed to recover from the sedation for a few hours in the hospital afterwards before being allowed back home.”

Evelyn has since emailed Amazon alerting them to Gucci’s experience and calling on them to find an alternative way of sealing envelopes and packages, however, she said she was yet to receive a response.

St Anne’s Veterinary group has four practices in the area, St Anne’s Road surgery, Langley surgery, Willing Surgery and East Dean Surgery. For more information on the St Anne’s, visit www.stannesvets.co.uk or search for St Anne’s Veterinary Group on Facebook.