09 August 2023 , 21:59
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A dog was vomiting and appeared "possessed" as he struggled to breathe after licking a dead jellyfish on a Welsh beach.
Ziggy, an 18-month-old coltriever (border collie crossed with golden retriever) took only the merest of licks of the lion's mane jellyfish but within moments was making gulping noises and desperately trying to eat grass.
Hilary Pullen, the owner of the dog, had seen the jellyfish but was not worried as it looked dead. But Ziggy became ill when he licked it. "It was like he was possessed," said Hilary, who shared what happened to warn other dog owners of the potential danger.
She'd taken her two dogs for a run at Talacre beach in Flintshire on August 7, when they found the jellyfish. Ziggy went to explore it and checking online Hilary found it was a lion's mane jellyfish, whose tentacles can still deliver a nasty sting long after they have died. The creature, regarded as one of the world's longest, is said to have the "beauty and bite of a lion".
The jellyfish found on the beach (Media Wales)
Ziggy became sick and was struggling to breathe after coming into contact with the jellyfish (Media Wales)"He must have licked it as, within 20 to 30 seconds, he began being violently ill," she said, reported NorthWalesLive. "He was heaving continuously for 10 minutes and began retching when his stomach was completely empty. It was scary and not very nice to watch - it was like he was turning himself inside out.
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"I knew I had to get him back to the car as he weighs 30kg and I wouldn't be able to carry him. I got him on his lead but he was trying to eat anything that was growing - anything so that he could fill his stomach and be sick again." Hilary hurried back to her home in Prestatyn with Ziggy struggling to breathe and was having trouble swallowing.
The dog was also eating clumps of grass. "I'm aware it's something dogs do when they are ill," said Hilary. "He was manically eating grass, just trying to get something into his stomach. It was like he was possessed. He vomited again and, on my mother's advice, I made some rice and eggs to fill his stomach.
"He seemed to calm down a little but was still making weird noises, like gulping sounds, as though his throat was constricted." After calling her vet, Hilary was advised to keep an eye on Ziggy's breathing and only to bring him in if it deteriorated further.
Still worried she began doing her own investigations. Sharing pictures of the jellyfish on social media, along with a warning, a Holywell woman advised her to use Piriton, an antihistamine used to treat hayfever. She wrote: "This happened to my dog few years ago and (the) vet advised Piriton. He's a Jack Russell but the reaction he had was scary at the time."
Another dog owner advised Hilary to crush the tablet as the powder "gets in the blood stream quicker". She dashed to a local chemist, bought Piriton, and gave half a tablet to Ziggy. "That definitely seemed to do the trick," said Hilary. "By 10pm Ziggy was drinking and looking more alert and I felt more comfortable going to bed."
Dog owners are usually advised not to administer Piriton, or other antihistamines such as Cetirizine and Loratadine, without consulting their vet. By Tuesday morning Ziggy appeared none the worse for his jellyfish encounter and Hilary said: "Ziggy's a pretty big dog so I'd hate to think what effect the toxin might have on a little one or a small child."
Others have also shared occasions where their dogs have became ill from touching a jellyfish. "Was too late to pull him off completely," said one. "He ate loads of grass and seemed to hurt when he swallowed but was fine a couple of hours later."
Another said: "My sausage dog did that [and I] had to take him to vets for an anti-sickness injection. He was only one at the time but fine after thankfully. So scary though."
While a further told how a dog died. "I would have insisted the vet had seen the dog," a woman said. "As my friend's dog died from this."