A Lanarkshire woman has warned hot tub owners to be careful after her pet puppy was left 'gasping for air' after swallowing foam.
Labrador, Cooper, who has just turned one, licked the foam off the top of the water after his owners turned their backs for a minute.
The puppy swiftly took unwell, leaving owner Joanne McGovern to make a tearful dash to the Vets Now pet emergency hospital in Glasgow for treatment.
Now Joanne, from Cambuslang, is backing vets’ calls for hot tub owners to take extra care to prevent the chemicals causing a tragedy.
Sales of hot tubs have boomed during lockdown as homeowners look to make the most of their gardens, with suppliers reporting sales increases of up to 1000 per cent.
Joanne, a call centre worker, explained: "We’ve always been really cautious with the hot tub, but Cooper has never shown any interest at all in going near it.
"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. 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 so scary. We phoned Vets Now right away, and they said to put him in the car and get him to them just as fast as we could.
"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."
Luckily, Cooper was treated by Vets Now and has since recovered in full.
Joanne added: "Even though I knew we’d got him to the right place, it was really frightening."
"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. "
Vet Nicole Laws, one of those who treated Cooper, added: "When we did the examination, Cooper was making noise similar to reverse sneezing.
“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. “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.
"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."
Visit here for more information on the work of Vets Now.
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