Owner’s warning after pizza dough almost costs puppy her life
A Cockapoo puppy needed life-saving treatment after she swallowed potentially deadly pizza dough.
Her owners are now warning others to be wary of their dogs when making dough at home.
Mabel swooped when her owners dropped the dough while getting ready to use their outdoor pizza oven, which have become a craze for homeowners during lockdown.
Unbaked dough can be lethal to dogs because it expands in the stomach, leading to potentially severe bloating.
Lucy and Claire Trewinnard, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, were alert to the possible risks, and in seconds were on the phone to their local pet emergency clinic.
The emergency team carried out a series of checks before inducing sickness to get rid of the food.
The drama happened as Lucy and Claire celebrated Claire’s birthday.
Lucy said: "Since we got Mabel we’ve been really vigilant with things like onions and garlic which could harm her but I never expected a bit of yeast could be so tricky.
“It was undoubtedly the most expensive pizza we’ve ever had, but the main thing was making sure that Mabel was safe.
“We couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her. She’s become such a big part of our lives already."
While eating unbaked bread dough can result in a bloated stomach in pets, in some cases it can also lead to gastric-dilatation volvulus, or GDV, which is a potentially fatal twisting of the stomach.
Senior vet nurse Anna Moran, who was part of the team at Vets Now in Tunbridge Wells who treated Mabel, said her owners did the right thing in urgently calling for veterinary help.
“The thing about yeast – which is what gives bread its fluffiness – is that it’s a living organism and, if swallowed by a dog, it continues to expand and that can cause serious health issues. Even small amounts can be dangerous."