Eastbourne dog’s teeth glued together after chewing through parcel

The nine-year-old Norfolk Terrier cross, called Gucci, was panting and panicking when she arrived at St Anne’s Vets in St Anne's Road, with the vets saying the dog was struggling to breath.

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

The owner said: “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.”

Ms Inglis called the 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 [and] 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.”

The vet eventually managed to break down the glue to separate the dog’s teeth and Gucci has since recovered.