PET owners have been warned about the dangers of junk mail after a vet had to carry out an emergency procedure on a dog that ended up in a sticky situation after chewing a glossy flyer.

Finlay, a seven-year-old Jack Russell, had its mouth completely glued shut after its saliva acted with the paper to create a strong adhesive.

Vet Scott Carpenter, 50, of Estcourt Vets in Devizes, had to anaesthetise the dog and then spent 45 minutes using warm water and dental tools to gently remove the glue.

He said: "This emergency was very unusual - nothing like this had ever happened at our practice before.

"Finlay is a lively little dog who wanted to play with the post but he chewed a glossy brochure his owners had got through the door.

"Within seconds, the paper had stuck rock hard like glue. When his owners called us and said he couldn't open his mouth, we expected it to be an injury from a stick - not something like this.

"As soon as Finlay came into the surgery we could see the glue in his teeth. It had stuck four of his bottom teeth together, cementing his jaw. There was no budging it at all.

"Finlay didn't understand what was happening. It happened so quickly, one moment he had been chewing this brochure, the next moment he couldn't open his mouth."

The dog's owners do not want to be named but are keen to warn others about the dangers the flyers can pose.

A spokesman for the surgery said: "Although we have never come across this problem before, it is apparently very common and has highlighted a potentially serious issue. Therefore if your dog is prone to stealing and destroying your post, we recommend buying a letter box cage to keep your post and dog safe.

"These type of flyers are common junk mail received by all of us on a daily basis."

The vet surgery took to Facebook to warn dog owners and asked them to share the advice.

Mr Carpenter said: "We had to be very careful during the procedure because we didn't want to damage Finlay's gums, teeth or jaw.

"When we levered off the glue with a dental scraper there was a piece of paper the size of a 20 pence piece still wrapped round his teeth which was what had set hard.

"As soon as that came off, we brought him round and he was absolutely fine and is now completely recovered.

"But there were risks associated. Any procedure where the animal is anaesthetised has risks, and because of the nature of Finlay's jaw being stuck together it was more difficult to access his airways.

"We want people to be aware so this doesn't happen again, especially owners who know their dogs like to play with mail.

"This glue sets hard, so the sooner it can be dealt with the better. Finlay was pretty nonplussed but some dogs would get very distressed.

"The whole thing was definitely a very frightening experience for Finlay's owners."