Labrador rushed to vets after falling ill from foam on top of hot tub

Dog almost dies after eating foam from hot tub
Cooper was rushed to the vets (Picture: Vets Now)

A young dog had to be rushed to the vets after he fell ill when he ate foam from a hot tub.

Owner Joanne McGovern said Labrador, Cooper, started gasping for air and so, fearing she was about to lose him, she rushed him for emergency treatment.

She said: ‘It was a lovely Sunday and my partner had topped up the chemicals, put the jets on and popped into the house for a moment.

‘I was in the living room and almost immediately Cooper came in like he was gasping for breath.

Is it a duck…or a dog? The Newfoundland breed has a water resistant coat and webbed feet. This dog was originally bred to help haul nets for fishermen and rescuing people at risk of drowning.

‘I ran into the garden and when I saw water on the steps by the tub, I realised he’d got up and licked the foam with all the chemicals.’

‘It was longest journey of my life. I was crying all the way and kept talking to him to make sure he was still with us.’

Joanne, from Cambuslang, near Glasgow, told staff at Vets Now what cleaning products she had used.
Dog almost dies after eating foam from hot tub
Owner Joanne is urging other hot tub owners to close them when dogs are around (Picture: Vets Now)
Dog almost dies after eating foam from hot tub
Poor Cooper now hides from the hot tub (Picture: Vets Now)
Vet Nicole Laws said: ‘When we did the examination, Cooper was making noise similar to reverse sneezing.

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‘But, thankfully, there was no breathing difficulty or ulceration of the mouth, nose or eyes; we were able to establish which chemicals, including chlorine, he had ingested and were causing the respiratory irritation.

‘We gave him some medication to treat this.’

After a few hours he was allowed home with medication for his airways and eyes and now he’s made a full recovery.

Joanne is now urging other hot tub owners to be careful.

She said: ”We’ve always been really cautious with the hot tub, but Cooper has never shown any interest at all in going near it.

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Dog almost dies after eating foam from hot tub
Thankfully he made a full recovery due to Joanne and Vets Now’s quick thinking (Picture: Vets Now)

‘It happened so quickly. I would never have left my wee girls unattended by the hot tub and you’ve really got to be every bit as cautious with dogs as you would be with children.’

Some suppliers have reported a 1,000 increase in sales of hot tubs and many holiday homes now have them.

Nicole added: ‘Cooper’s case highlights the dangers of hot tubs for pet owners and I’m so pleased to hear he’s back to normal. He was an incredibly affectionate dog.

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‘We have seen numerous cases involving pets almost drowning in hot tubs or suffering an extreme reaction after inhaling treated hot tub water into their lungs.

‘We’d advise owners with hot tubs, or who are visiting somewhere with them, to always keep their dog away from them and to cover them up when not in use.’

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