PAUL O’GRADY was taken to hospital after lying in the gutter with stray dogs in India while filming his latest TV show.
The 62-year-old presenter was in Delhi recording scenes for his new four-part ITV series For The Love Of Dogs: India when he discovered two puppies bitten by rats.
O’Grady was attempting to clean their wounds and clear them of maggots before he became ill.
He said: “It was my own fault. You don’t lie in the gutter in Delhi with street dogs.
“There were two little pups that had been bitten by a rat.
“Inside the wound were maggots and I was flicking them out while feeding the dogs by hand.
“Of course the dogs were licking me and I forgot and I was touching my face. That night I started vomiting.
“A doctor came and he said I had to go into hospital because I was dehydrated.”
O’Grady had a high temperature, a fever and was delirious, with doctors telling him he was so dehydrated he was heading for renal failure.
He received emergency treatment, with medics hooking him up to a saline drip to rehydrate him.
They also gave him antibiotics.
Delhi, the second most populous city in the world, is thought to be home to 400,000 stray dogs.
O’Grady is a well-known dog lover and presents the National Television Award-winning programme For The Love of Dogs.
Meanwhile, the presenter paid tribute to Dale Winton, saying “he didn’t have a bad bone in his body”.
He said his friend of many years, who died last week, would “be missed by so many”.
“When I think of Dale, I think of Mr Showbiz.
“Out there, giving it all, with a big smile and the tan.
“He always insisted on getting that glow.
“He really embraced being in the public eye and absolutely loved it.”
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