Golden Retriever’s Eye For Glue Creates Sticky Situation

For as far back as she can remember, Alexandra Tashjian of Belmont, Massachusetts, yearned for a dog to join her family. That wish was finally granted in 2013 when she came across a photo of a young pup, named Bentley, who needed a new home.

Alexandra adopted Bentley and signed him up for pet insurance, which proved to be helpful when the mischievous dog managed to hot-glue his eye shut. The eye-opening experience earned him the honor of being named May’s “Most Unusual Claim of the Month” by Nationwide, the nation’s first and largest provider of pet health insurance.

“I have an online shop where I sell candy bouquets,” said Alexandra. “I use a hot glue gun and styrofoam ball to build the bouquets then finish the bouquets with plastic wrap.”

With Bentley by her side 24/7, Alexandra is careful to make sure the glue gun is always stored on a high shelf, well out of his reach. But when Bentley tried to lend his mom a helping paw with her candy bouquets, things quickly went from sweet to sticky.

“Bentley is ordinarily good about staying away from my space while I’m working,” said Alexandra. “But one afternoon was different. My mom and I were working on designing candy bouquets and after a few minutes I glanced over at Bentley and noticed he had his left eye shut and was struggling to get it open.”

Alexandra examined the dog’s eye, and took note of the thick, sticky substance she quickly realized was dried glue from her glue gun. She got water and soap in an attempt to loosen it up, but after several minutes and no progress, Alexandra took Bentley to an emergency veterinary practice.

“The doctors used a razor blade to essentially shave off the glue,” said Alexandra. “They made sure to be extra cautious not to cause damage to his eye.”

Once all glue was removed, the veterinary team determined that there was no damage or ulceration to his cornea. Bentley was successfully able to open both eyelids with no traces of glue, or scarring.

“Bentley received excellent care at Blue Pearl of Waltham,” said Alexandra. “Purchasing pet insurance was the best decision I ever made, and it still is.”