Dog owners warned as pooch almost dies from licking barbeque brush

The owner of a labradoodle puppy, who nearly died twice after chewing on a barbeque cleaning brush, has warned others of the danger.

Leon Tomasevic from Nottingham has rushed 20-month-old Riley to the vets on two occasions after swallowing potentially deadly spikes after licking a cleaning brush. 

He’s now calling for a ban on the brushes whose bristles shed easily and can perforate internal organs, causing fatal bleeding. 

“The first time was at home, when he’d gone out in the garden in the morning as a puppy and found the barbecue brush lying around,” Leon said.

“We had absolutely no idea of the dangers but when he started chewing at it, because of the flavours and scents of the cooking, the tiny bristles just came off.  

“He was sick within minutes and our vets were incredibly worried. There were literally hundreds of bristles, and it would have been impossible to operate and get them all out.”  

The vet recommended Riley to be bulk-fed, with repeated meals of pasta, bread and mashed potato to help the bristles pass through naturally without causing damage.

It worked, but a few days later it happened again when Leon and his family were visiting friends.

Leon said: “I saw he’d gone quiet, which is generally a sign of mischief, and my heart sank when I saw what he was doing. I couldn’t believe it had happened again.  

“He was sick in the car and then he had to be sedated for the X-rays, which showed he was absolutely full to the brim of little wire bristles in his stomach and intestines.”  

After seeing his dog face death twice, Leon thinks more needs to be done. 

“These brushes should be banned, they are absolutely deadly.

“If you scrub a grill with a cheap one, you’ll see these bristles just fly off and they are real killers.”