RUBY the black Labrador thought it might be a bit of a wheeze to play with her owner’s asthma inhaler.

But after breathing in a year’s worth of asthma drugs from Claire Estall’s inhaler in 10 minutes, after puncturing the device with her teeth, she was rushed to the local vet for emergency treatment.

The accident has catapulted her into MoreThan pet insurance’s top 10 weird and wonderful accidents claimed.

Mrs Estall, who lives in Chestnut Way in Burton near Christchurch, said: “I’d left my inhaler, which was new, on the table downstairs and taken my laptop upstairs to print something out.

“She’s always very proud of everything she finds so she came bounding up the stairs to show us what she’d done.”

Around 20 minutes later Ruby, now two years old, started reacting to the chemicals in the inhaler, leading Claire and her husband John to rush her to the Priory Veterinary Surgery in Purewell.

Claire, 35, said: “She was frothing at the nose and had licked her water bowl completely dry in 20 minutes.

“She was just lying on the floor on one side panting really hard.

“I was really scared.”

The vets did some tests and kept her at the surgery overnight while her electrolyte levels returned to normal.

“When they said I could take her home the next day, I was so relieved. She’s my first dog,” Claire added.

“I couldn’t believe it when they told me she’s made the top 10 weird and wonderful claims.

“She’s absolutely fine now. Full of energy.

“I just don’t leave my inhaler around anymore.”

MoreThan’s director Pete Markey said: “Our pets are a mischievous bunch but thankfully all these animals lived to fight another day.”