Have you ever seen the large, sticky glue board traps that are used to catch mice and rats? Imagine what it would be like to get one of those stuck in your hair or stuck to your face. That’s exactly what happened to one tiny dog in Phoenix, Arizona. Thankfully, some quick thinking and a little peanut butter saved her life.
Late last week Abby, a 4-pound Yorkshire Terrier/Chihuahua mix, found herself stuck to one of these glue traps. A Good Samaritan found the poor dog and contacted Emergency Animal Medical Technicians (EAMTs) from the Arizona Humane Society for help. Sadly, by the time help arrived on the scene Abby had already succumbed to exhaustion and had collapsed face down in the sticky glue.
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She was struggling to breathe and had glue lodged in her nasal passages and her eyes. If she hadn’t been rescued when she was, she would have quickly suffocated and died. Andy Gallo, one of the EAMTs that responded to the incident, said that she was so exhausted from struggling to free herself that she looked like she was already gone. Then he saw her take a single breath.
Gallo knew that if he struggled to pull the stray dog free it would cause her severe pain and most likely rip the fur, and possibly even skin, off her face. He decided to get creative and try a more humane approach. Gallo requested peanut butter and gently lathered it all over Abby’s face. If you’ve ever tried to remove gum from someone’s hair you’ve probably heard of this trick too.
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The peanut oil worked to loosen the glue’s grip and Gallo was able to painlessly remove the glue trap from Abby’s body. He says that her paws were embedded deep in the glue and it looked as if she was trying to chew the trap off of herself because there was glue embedded into her nostrils. It took a lot of peanut butter and a lot of tedious work, but Abby was finally free.
EAMTs took Abby to the Second Chance Animal Hospital to be cleaned and groomed. She lost very little fur and was not hurt in any way. After a good night’s rest she was back to normal the next day. Abby is now staying at the Arizona Humane Society’s Campus for Compassion until a suitable home can be found for her.
