On Jan. 16, news came that a puppy named Cleo was saved after receiving a large dose of alcohol, and not the rubbing kind. In fact, the cure was vodka, administered by quick-thinking Scot Hall, a veterinarian who works in an emergency clinic in Melbourne, Australia.
The backstory, which arrived from United Press International via the Melbourne Daily Sun, tells what could have been a deadly tale, so to speak.
Itty, bitty Cleo, only ten weeks old, is apparently not discerning when it comes to what she licks because she decided to lick a bit of anti-freeze. That deadly fluid happened to be found by the curious pup when she went sniffing around her owners' garage and came upon some very enticing car parts.
And that particular experiment during which time this pup partook of all the car parts had to offer almost did this dog in. The seven-pound American Staffordshire youngin' reacted so badly to this new taste that she started showing signs of renal failure about half an hour after she did the deed.
Apparently, her bad reaction to the radiator fluid caused Cleo to quickly become unsteady, not able to stand still. She also reportedly rejected her food so caring owner Stacey Zammit rushed Cleo to the Animal Accident and Emergency Point in Melbourne where Scot Hall works.
He immediately used an antidote found in his nurse's car to counteract the bad reaction. So what did the trick? Although ethanol is considered the ideal treatment to cure anti-freeze poisoning, in this case it was vodka.
The vodka was administered to tiny Cleo via shots through a tube in her nose. In all, this lucky dog "drank" nearly a bottle and a half of the booze in less than 72 hours. The hero vet in charge commented, "Stopping that chemical reaction is really important to stop renal failure..."
In all, this sweet pet spent four days getting soused while being watched over by the swift acting, very clever Australian vet whose vodka remedy saved the poor puppy. Talk about a compelling twist on a really spirited theme.
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