Dog needs emergency treatment after swallowing bath bomb
Ruff time for Weimaraner Blu whose love of coconut lands her in deep trouble
A dog mistook a coconut bath bomb for a tasty treat with dire consequences.
Weimaraner Blu chanced upon the soap ball, which contained oils and perfumes, while her owners were out and clearly thought it smelled good enough to eat.
But when Lucy Heath and her partner Tim returned from a quick shopping trip they were horrified to find Blu had jumped up on to the table and swallowed it.
Quick-thinking Lucy, who is a pharmacy technician, realised the ingredients in the bath bomb could be dangerous and called Vets Now in Northampton.
Before they got into their car to drive to the pet emergency clinic, Blu threw much of the bath bomb back up, but her health still deteriorated.
Lucy, 26, said: “When Blu was sick most of the bath bomb came out, but within 10 minutes she started wobbling.
“We rang the out-of-hours vets and they advised us to bring her in as soon as possible, but she worsened on the journey and appeared unconscious by the time we got there.
“It was scary how quickly it all happened. She was gone in the car and couldn’t even blink. I touched her eyes and there was no reaction. She was dribbling and I thought there’s no way she’s going to make it.”
Tim and Lucy did their best to comfort Blu as they drove from their Kettering home to Vets Now in Northampton which provides emergency care for pets in the area.
The couple arrived at the clinic at around 9pm to be greeted by staff who rushed Blu into a treatment room.
Blu was rushed to Vets Now after swallowing a coconut-scented bath oil
Remarkably, after just 10 minutes, Lucy and Tim got word that Blu was starting to perk up and half an hour later they were able to see their beloved pet who, while still a bit wobbly, managed to walk into the waiting area.
Lucy said: “While we were waiting we found the bath bomb online and were able to tell the vet and vet nurse the ingredients. It included oils like lavender and sandalwood as well as perfume and alcohol.
“It also had coconut oil and shavings of coconut butter and Blu really likes coconut as she sometimes has coconut oil on her dinner, so when she found it she probably thought: ‘Wow this is brilliant’.”
Sarah Rance, principal nurse manager at Vets Now in Northampton, said Blu’s case was unusual.
She added: “It’s not every day a dog gets rushed in having eaten a bath bomb, and it’s just as well Blu’s owners were quick to react because she was very poorly when she arrived.
Blu is now fully recovered thanks to the staff at Vets Now
“We placed her on a drip, took some blood and monitored her closely, aware she was at risk of developing pancreatitis.
“Thankfully, Blu made a quick recovery. By the time she left the building later that night she looked almost back to normal.”
Sarah added: “The bath bomb contained several ingredients that are potentially dangerous for dogs, but the fact that Blu was sick so soon after eating it probably helped her bounce back so quickly.
“Her love of coconut was nearly her downfall though. Blu’s case demonstrates the importance of keeping inedible bathing products like this well out of a dog’s reach.”
The Vets Now clinic in Northampton – where Blu received treatment – was recently rated as “outstanding” in the delivery of emergency and critical care by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
All of Vets Now’s premises have a vet and vet nurse on site at all times.
Dog needs emergency treatment after swallowing bath bomb
Weimaraner Blu was rushed to Vets Now emergency clinic after her owners discovered their dog ate a bath bomb. Blu couldn't resist the tasty treat offered up by the coconut scented organic bath bomb and decided to chow down - despite the toxic risk it posed.
