No one should ever give alcohol to their pet... But that's exactly what Australian vets did to treat a seriously ill dog suffering from ethylene glycol poisoning. Thanks to an IV vodka drip, Charlie made a full recovery!

We all know that alcohol and pets don't ever appear in the same sentence - unless it's a story about keeping the two away from each other. However, in this story, it turns out that vodka saved this Australian dog's life!

Charlie poisoned by ethylene glycol

Ethylene glycol is a toxic chemical often used as an antifreeze agent in vehicle cooling systems (also known as coolant). While humans are usually able to identify it as a chemical not to be consumed, animals are unfortunate to not have this cognitive ability. Especially dogs who are often lured by its sweet taste!

Unfortunately for Australian Bichon Frise Charlie, the coolant in his owner's garage was too delicious to not lick. Not long after ingestion, Charlie became very ill and began to suffer from early signs of kidney failure - a common symptom that can prove fatal if not treated quickly.

Rushed to the vet

Charlie's owner, Jacinta Rosewarne, was in the dark about why Charlie suddenly became ill but knew it was serious. She made a dash to the Animal Accident & Emergency hospital in Melbourne to have him assessed where vets quickly determined Charlie had ingested ethylene glycol.

Where poisoning occurs, the best treatment to alter the antifreeze chemical properties of ethylene glycol so that it can be flushed out of the system is to ingest pure alcohol.

So, with Charlie in a poor way and a matter of hours away from death, the vets hooked Charlie up to an IV vodka drip.

Drunk on vodka

For the next two days, Charlie consumed 700ml of vodka.

According to Jacinta, he spent 48 hours acting like a drunk person.

"He was stumbling around, I’d go to pat him and he’d push me away like a normal drunk person, he was vomiting a little, whining like a drunk," she said.

Saved by vodka

Thankfully, the treatment worked and Charlie was not long after released from hospital - with a roaring hangover!

"He just slept and slept and slept," Jacinta said.

"I tried to take him for a walk on Monday but he just sat down after 50m... I had to pick him up and carry him home."

While it may sound unorthodox, it's good to know that alcohol can occasionally be useful in preventing the death of our fur friends in times of need.

Source: Herald Sun

Photo credit: Animal Accident & Emergency

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