Winchester vets save puppy that overdosed on owner's meds

The Newfoundland pup, called Otto, digested Baclofen muscle relaxant tablets which left it unresponsive and unable to breathe.

Otto, who lives in Winchester, was given emergency treatment at Linnaeus-owned Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists in Hursley. Critical care specialist Adam Mugford said it was touch and go for the young pup.

He said: “Otto was in very serious trouble. It really was a race against time. Baclofen can rapidly cause death and the amount of medication his owners believed he had ingested was over the lethal dose.

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“Otto was immediately triaged as a priority case and required an emergency intubation, where a plastic tube was inserted into the trachea (windpipe) to secure his airway to help him breathe.

“He was also given fluid therapy and a lipid infusion to help stabilise him and accelerate the clearance of the toxin.

Otto during op (Image: Anderson Moores)

“Unfortunately, Otto’s level of intoxication was so severe he was not able to breathe on his own for any prolonged period of time.

“He was also supported by intravenous anaesthesia the whole day, with constant one-on-one critical care nursing.

“Eventually, he was able to breathe for himself without fatigue and was weaned from the ventilator, which was a very positive sign.

“Otto was certainly very lucky and he recovered well, gradually regaining his full mobility.

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“I have no doubt his rapid recovery from such a severe life-threatening condition is due to the speed and skill of the team here, and the advanced level of equipment we have available at Anderson Moores.”

Otto was discharged four days later and is nearly back to its usual bouncy self.

Specialist Mr Mugford is urging all pet owners to be extra careful about how and where they store their medicines and tablets in the house.

He said: “It is very hard for owners to always be watching a naughty inquisitive puppy, but human medication can be a very real danger to pets so needs to be store sensibly and carefully.”

Anderson Moores offers specialist care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care, feline hyperthyroid clinic, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery.

For more information go to andersonmoores.com.