THE owner of a dog who nearly died after swallowed 22 max-strength painkillers has thanked the vets who saved her life.

Blue merle border collie Sasha cheated death after swallowing a near full pack of Ibuprofen she had sniffed out in a sports bag belonging to owner Julie Hooper's 19-year-old son.

Now the mum-of-two has thanked vets who saved the eight-year-old pooch from the overdose and warned fellow pet owners to keep their medication out of reach.

Warrington Guardian:

Julie, from Padgate, said: "When I came home from work I noticed she had been sick on the floor, but I couldn’t find her.

"She doesn’t usually go upstairs, but when I was looking for her I also realised she’d been sick on my bed.

"When I found her she couldn’t stand up, and I didn’t know what was wrong - I took her straight to the vets, and by the time I got there she was virtually unconscious.

"I found a chewed-up cardboard tablet box on the floor of my son’s bedroom and realised Sasha must have rooted them out of the side pocket of his sports bag."

Staff at Beech House Veterinary Centre on Wilderspool Causeway cared for Sasha for nearly a month before she was able to go home.

Teaching assistant Julie added: "The staff at Beech House were fantastic – I can’t praise them highly enough.

"Sasha is such a lovely-natured dog and everyone was just willing her to get better - we’re so lucky she’s still with us.

Warrington Guardian:

"I could kick myself for leaving the bedroom door open and would desperately urge people to keep painkillers out of their pet’s reach.

"So many times we just put our handbags down without even thinking about it.

"It can happen so easily and I wouldn’t want any other dog or their owner to have to go through that.

"Sasha has been home for 11 weeks now and it’s like nothing ever happened - she’s back to her usual self, eating and playing as normal, which is the most amazing news considering how close we came to losing her."

Vet Sean Cleary said it had been the worst case of Ibuprofen toxicity he had seen during his 22-year career.

Warrington Guardian:

He added: "She came close to death several times but with the perseverance from all of us – including Mrs Hooper, who hand fed her when she wasn’t eating – she miraculously got through it.

"It’s not unusual for us to see animals who have swallowed human medications.

"Some are sugar-coated and the smell can be quite attractive to them, so I’d urge people to keep tablets in a cupboard or somewhere out of reach.

"If Sasha had eaten a tiny bit more she almost certainly would have died.

"It was a very close shave for Sasha, but she is completely fine now with no lasting damage – she’s very lucky."