My dog chewed broken glass!

Blog post about incident with dog chewing broken glass
By Laure-Anne Viselé, Certified Canine First Aider, January 2011
We had ourselves  a huge scare last night: our dog, Roger, chewed through my Bailey’s shot-glass.

Friday night Baileys

There I was, decompressing after a hard week’s work. I figured I’d have a shot of Bailey’s watching our current favourite show (The Office, US version. Seriously, try it!).

Because I am a die-hard fan of moderation (oxymoronic much?), I poured the Bailey’s in a tiny shot-glass, instead of the traditional Whiskey glass, and took my time sipping it.

Glass thief

We were enjoying the show when we heard the sound of broken glass being chewed. I’d never heard it before, and never want to hear it again, but believe me, it’s instantly recognizable.

What must have happened is that Roger sneakily grabbed the empty shot-glass from the armrest and taken it to his basket.

Panic reaction

I sprung to my feet, pried his mouth open and fetched the glass. I then reached deep into his throat, to make sure nothing was left.

It’s debatable whether I should have done that as:

• Had there been glass, I would have injured myself (big whoop), and
• The glass could have also seriously damaged his oesophagus (digestive tube) on its way back up.

Happy ending

But by some miracle Roger was completely fine and had not swallowed any shards, nor was his mouth injured.

We sure learned our lesson: that’s the last time we underestimate our dog’s ability to be stealthy.

Roger is really not the sharpest tool in the box (no offence, Rodge), so if he can do this, one word of advice: watch your dogs.

Further reading

About Roger

• The ultimate social integration prop: dog or kid? – Article comparing Thom (Canis bonus child) and Roger (Canis bonus dog) as social facilitators
• Dog trip down memory lane – List of all the dogs I have owned, with snippets about issues, personalities, etc.
• Jogging with your dog. He doesn’t feel like it… – Article about the dismal experience of jogging with Roger…
• I hate leaving my dog in a pension! – Article about Roger’s pension stay
• A training shopping list – Taking stock of the training steps achieved with Roger, and the wish list

First aid

• First aid homework – Interesting homework to do before a dog emergency
• My dog has swallowed poison, what now? – First aid instructions for poisoned dog (checked by Poison Centre specialist and veterinarian)
• Dog hyperthermia treatment – First aid instructions in case your dog stays out all night or falls through the ice.