AN URGENT warning has been issued to dog owners after a ‘lovely pup’ DIED from a mystery illness following a walk.
The heartbroken owners of Duke, the dog, have spoken of their devastation after their beloved pooch started vomiting and bleeding – tragically dying hours later.
Owners have been warned after ‘lovely pup’ died from a mystery illness[/caption]
Duke, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was described as a “lovely” pup who was “everybody’s best friend”.
This comes after an urgent warning was issued for dog owners to avoid walks on several North Yorkshire beaches after more than 150 pets fall ill from “toxins” in the water.
Julie Cox took his dog, Duke, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, on a walk around an industrial state on Sunday 9 January, but shortly after, Duke started experiencing diarrhoea and becoming seriously ill.
Julie told ChronicleLive: “It was at ten past 11, he woke me up wanting to go out, and I thought it was a bit strange because he always goes for a long walk in the morning and at night. I took him out, and he had diarrhoea.
“I went back to bed after an hour, and he woke me up again, it went on like this about every hour until the morning.
Duke had managed a 10-minute walk, and as soon as they returned and took his lead off, the dog vomited.
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“He was foaming at the mouth and he vomited about four times in 10 minutes,” said Julie. “I rang the vets and they told me to bring him up straight away.
“As we were taking him to the vets he became really lethargic.”
After taking Duke to the vet, the pup’s organs seemed okay, and he was given medication.
But as soon as they got home Duke was bleeding from his behind and was sent to another vet in Newcastle to be treated overnight.
But when they arrived, the four-year-old pup suffered a heart attack.
Alan Marshall, also his owner, was told of a virus going around affecting dogs.
Alan said: “They told us that this virus is going round and they don’t know what to do to treat it. The vets did everything possible, they were so upset that they couldn’t help.
The owners wish to spread the message to warn other dog owners about the virus.
“We just don’t want other people to go through this, you’d got to be careful when you take them for walks, of course, dogs are dogs, but maybe clean their paws whenever you get home.
“If we could just get the message out to people that there is this unknown virus out there and to be careful until it comes out exactly what it is.”
David McCreadie, a former senior lecturer in marine biology and oceanography, believes dredging could be blamed.
After witnessing a vessel dredging off Teesmouth last September, he believes the dead lobsters and crabs he started to find on the South Gare near Redcar unearthed “historical toxins”.
He is “99 percent certain” these toxins a responsible for the crab and lobster deaths and could also be responsible for the mystery illness in dogs.
Alan Marshall was told of a virus going around affecting dogs[/caption]
