Vets rescue collie after he ate poison from compost bin
VETS in Coventry saved threelegged border collie Bandit after he got into a compost bin and ate poisonous waste.
Bandit used his nose to slide the bin’s hatch open, then munched through toxic food and garden remains.
Foaming at the mouth and shaking uncontrollably, fouryear-old Bandit was rushed into intensive care with what vets at first feared was a brain tumour.
But after nine hours on the critical list, he pulled through and was well enough to go home the next day with owner Jeanette Pugh from Alcester, Warwickshire.
The drama happened just three months after the border collie had to have his left hind leg amputated after dislocating his hip and snapping his cruciate ligament, injuries which three separate operations were unable to heal. Bandit recovered full speed and mobility after the amputation and is even learning how to swim again.
Teacher Jeanette, 51, said: “Bandit really has been through the wars. But he’s got tremendous spirit.
“We’d seen him sniffing around the compost bin earlier while he was out in the garden but didn’t think anything of it.
“But when we went back, we saw the hatch at the bottom of the bin was open – and it had definitely been closed when he first went into the garden because we checked.
“So Bandit has come along and managed to slide the hatch across - which you have to say is pretty ingenious when he’s only got three legs.”
Amanda-Jane Erne, principal nurse manager in for Vets Now in Coventry, said: “When Bandit was admitted he was conscious but in a critical condition.
“Bandit’s case shows just how dangerous compost and soil dressings such as cocoa mulch, can be to dogs.
“You should always keep it out of your dog’s reach and if you suspect your dog has eaten it you should seek urgent veterinary advice. Early treatment is essential for the best chance of success.”
The Vets Now clinic in Coventry where Bandit received treatment was recently rated as “outstanding” in the delivery of emergency and critical care by veterinary inspectors from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.