A dog was left severely brain damaged and had to be put down after eating poisonous berries from a plant.
Chloe Allen has issued a warning over the deadly lords-and-ladies plants after her dog Lola ate some berries and suffered for eight months.
The 22-year-old from Minehead, Somerset, said Lola had to be put to sleep on March 26 after eating the berries in August last year.
Just a few minutes later, the golden retriever had a seizure which caused her to lose her sight, hearing and develop respiratory disease and epilepsy.
Lola's body also began producing excess stomach acid to fight off the life-threatening berries - causing parts of her tongue to burn away.
Six-year-old Lola has spent eight months in-and-out of vets in a bid to ease her suffering.
However, vets last week made the heartbreaking decision to put Lola to sleep after her condition worsened.
Chloe has now issued a warning to other pet owners about the dangers posed by the berries.
She wrote on Facebook: "I am writing this post to spread awareness and possibly save another dog's life from the hell my Lola went through.
"Please look out for these berries, I've had so many messages of people saying they've found them in their gardens.
"Please pull them out so your dog doesn't have to go through hell and back like Lola did."
Her Facebook post has received thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.
Chloe said she slept next to her dog on the concrete floor in the kennel in the vets every night.
She added Lola had been caring for her five-week-old pup when she ate the berries last summer.
The dog owner explained: "Ever since having puppies Lola would always search for any spot in the bushes for her puppies, the vet said this is normal behaviour and that she was nesting.
"We were on a walk one day and I noticed she was in a particular hedge for a few minutes like normal so didn't think anything of it.
"The next day I went back to the hedge and found lords-and-ladies (poisonous plant).
"There were three plants and one plant had about two berries missing. Straight away it clicked."
Chloe said Lola was her "best friend" and they were "inseparable".
She now has two other golden retrievers and has vowed to do everything she can to protect them.
After publishing the warning on Facebook, Chloe received support from other social media users.
One told her: "So sorry. Thank you for posting to prevent this from happening to other loved ones.
"You are very brave, God bless."
Another person commented: "So sorry for the tragic loss of Lola, she looked like a beautiful girl.
"Thank you for making us aware of this plant so we don't lose any more of our precious pets."
One more added: "I'm so sorry for your loss you must be heartbroken, thank you for this and making me aware."
