Puppy's life saved - with vodka

An Australian vet saved a puppy that was dying after drinking anti-freeze - by giving her vodka.

The puppy, an American Staffordshire named Cleo, licked radiator fluid off spare car parts in a garage in Truganina.

Within 30 minutes, she was swaying on her feet, rejecting food and at risk of kidney failure, according to News.com.au.

Owner Stacey Zammit, 27, rushed Cleo to the vet, who said the puppy was hours away from renal failure.

"It was only a 6.6lb dog, so it doesn't take much of the anti-freeze for it to become poisoned," said vet Scott Hall.

"The owners were straight on top of the money. They realised straight away that things weren't right and came straight to us."

Alcohol stops a chemical reaction in the liver that causes kidney failure. The vets used a bottle of vodka that a nurse had in her car.

The vodka was fed via drip through her nose and into her stomach. Cleo consumed more than a third of the bottle during her treatment.