Poisoned dog saved by bottle of vodka

Charlie the Maltese Terrier was hours from death after licking coolant from the floor of his owner's garage at Melton, west of Melbourne.

But a quick thinking vet knew to counter-act the poison with what else but a bottle of vodka? A bottle was acquired and 700mL of the spirit was pumped into Charlie through a tube in his nose - and yes, he got drunk.

"I just wasn't expecting the result or the end result which was a very stumbling drunk little puppy," said Charlie's owner, Jacinta Rosewarne. "Yeah he had no idea what was going on."

Pure alcohol ethanol prevents the key ingredient in antifreeze, ethylene glycol, from being metabolized into toxic chemicals in the body.

This allows the body remove the ethylene glycol harmlessly as waste.

Rosewarne says Charlie is fine now, after a good sleep. It gives a whole new meaning to hair of the dog.