No more ice cream for Bertie after mischievous pup needs emergency trip to vets

An ice cream-loving puppy needed an emergency trip to the vets after getting a lolly stick stuck in his mouth.

Bertie, a seven-month-old cavapoo (a cross between the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and poodle dog breeds), had been licking ice cream off the end of a stick – one of his favourite treats. But the playful pup then grabbed the wooden stick and ran off, before he was found choking and agitated by his owners.

The stick had become firmly lodged in the roof of his mouth and Bertie was so distressed, he wouldn’t let anyone near him.

The much-loved family pet, who is owned by Debra and Jonathan Buckley and their children, Amelia, 17, and 13-year-old twins Benjamin and Frederick, from Bamford in Rochdale, had to be rushed to Valentine’s Vets in Manchester Road, Castleton, Rochdale.

Vet Gary Dybdall had to sedate Bertie as he was still agitated, but managed to remove the stick, before it could cause any damage to his mouth.

Gary said: “Once he was here, we brought him in and examined him and we could see the lollypop stick stuck across the roof of his mouth lodged between his teeth.

“We attempted to remove this awake, but to no avail. He was a nice little dog, but I don't blame him for not tolerating removal whilst awake.

“We got permission from the owner and sedated him to make this possible. Once asleep, I tried to remove the stick with forceps, but this was not working, so in the end, I actually removed this with my hands. It then came away fairly easily.

“I checked for any further trauma to the mouth and thankfully there was no damage and he was able to go home with his family that evening.”

Bertie is now banned from eating ice cream and Valentine’s Vets has advised owners not to allow their pets to lick lolly sticks in case they choke or get the stick stuck in their mouth.

The Buckley family bought the energetic pup just before the UK went into lockdown and had plenty of time at home to raise a new puppy.

Debra said: “We were enjoying some ice cream lollies in the garden and Bertie was given a little bit of ice cream to lick from the end of the stick.

“He grabbed it and ran off with it. Next thing, he was agitated and we thought he was choking at first. I could see it lodged across the roof of his mouth and he was getting very anxious and we couldn’t get near him.

“He had to be sedated at Valentine’s Vets to get it out. He was very subdued afterwards, but back to normal the next day.

“So many people let their dogs lick the end of the stick and nothing ever happens.

“He will be sticking to his doggy treat after this!”

If any suspects their dog has a stick, or any foreign object stuck in their mouth, they are advised to contact their vet if they are unable to remove it.