‘Alcoholic’ dog sedated for four weeks as he goes cold turkey

A dog who is said to have become addicted to alcohol had to be sedated for four weeks as part of his recovery.

Staff at Woodside Animal Welfare Trust in Devon had been taking care of two dogs, Coco and Geordie, after their owner passed away.

However, shortly after the dogs arrived in the Plympton shelter, they started to show signs of alcohol withdrawal.

The dogs began fitting, and despite emergency care by an on-site vet, Geordie passed away.

Thanks to the efforts of the staff at Woodside, Coco has now made a full recovery after spending a month in sedation.

Staff at the shelter said “a process of elimination” helped them to figure out that the dogs were likely suffering from alcohol withdrawal.

They believe that the owner of the dogs may have been a heavy drinker.

Kirstin Stone, who works at the shelter, told the BBC: “It could be that just after, like say, the owner’s had a drink and they’ve just gone to sleep, and the dogs may have drank it, but we just don’t know.”

She added that Coco’s recovery was a “long process” but he was “very well-behaved”.

Ms Stone also said that despite their alcohol addiction, the dogs were clearly “very, very well loved” as Coco is well-trained and “loves cuddles”.