A PETERSFIELD pensioner is heart-broken after his beloved dog died after eating a discarded nappy.
Now Roy Chadney (86), of Dragon Street, is urging other dog owners to be vigilant about the lethal threat posed by dumped nappies.
“She was beautiful, a very special dog and everyone loved her,” said a distraught Roy, who has buried his English springer spaniel Misty in his garden.
Eight-year-old Misty died in his arms five weeks after finding the disposable nappy on the edge of the rugby pitch at Penns Place.
It had been thrown on the ground despite there being a lidded bin a few metres away. Misty ate its contents, with Roy unable to keep up with her and stop her. He took her to St Peter’s Vets immediately and the dog was given injections to induce vomiting, and all seemed well afterwards.
In the following weeks though she had complications including an inflamed liver and infected gall bladder, with more tests and treatment at the surgery.
She was due to go back for a check-up when she suddenly became unwell in the early hours of the morning.
“She seemed utterly exhausted and I lay with her to comfort and stroke her but I could see she was slipping away,” said Roy, who had had Misty since she was a puppy.
The toxins, it seems, proved too much for Misty’s system. “I am heart-broken. She was my life. If only the person who left that nappy on the ground had put it in the bin,” said Roy.
East Hampshire District Council animal welfare officer Jen Rowberry said:?“We are so sorry to hear about what happened to Misty, a dog we knew well.”
Disposable nappies posed a real danger as they absorbed fluids in dogs, which could cause liver and kidney failure as well as blocking the intestines and stomach. She called on dog owners to be vigilant, and parents to make sure nappies were disposed of responsibly.