A DEVASTATED dog owner has issued a warning over deadly lords-and-ladies plants
after her golden retriever was left severely brain damaged and had to be put down.
Chloe Allen was forced to put her beloved dog, Lola, to sleep last month after eight months of agony from eating the poisonous berries from the plant.
The 22-year-old from Minehead, Somerset today revealed how Lola had been caring for her five-week-old pup, Daisy when she ate the berries in August last year.
Minutes after eating the red berries, Lola began having a seizure which caused her to lose her sight, hearing and develop respiratory disease and epilepsy.
Lola’s body 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 deteriorated.
Last week Chloe issued a warning about the dangers of lords-and-ladies berries to pet owners on Facebook.
She said: “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.”
Chloe’s post has now gained over 1,500 likes and 700 hundred comments.
Speaking today Chloe said: “I slept with her every night on the concrete floor in the kennel in the vets.
“When she woke up she didn’t know who I was and she was completely blind.
“Lola struggled for months with epilepsy and so many more health problems.
“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 was three plants and one plant had about two berries missing. Straight away it clicked.”
Chloe added: “Lola wasn’t just any dog to me, she was my best friend.
“I’m sure a lot of pet owners say the same but Lol was special, a love I’ve never had before.
“Ever since we met we were inseparable, we always said that we didn’t choose her, she chose me.
“I am doing everything I can to protect my other two golden retrievers now.”
Chloe has been inundated with messages of support from social media users.
Rita Marie commented: “So sorry. Thank you for posting to prevent this from happening to other loved ones.
“You are very brave, God bless.”
Diane Malia wrote: “So sorry for your loss.
“Thank you for getting the word out about those plants!
“It may prevent some other poor dog from going through what your Lola did.”
Dawny Ansrews said: “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.”
Deborah Nolan replied: “I’m so sorry for your loss you must be heartbroken, thank you for this and making me aware.”
And Kay Thurstan commented: “Omg I’m crying reading this.
“I’m so sorry for your loss.
“Sleep tight beautiful Lola.”
Lords-and-ladies plants are usually spotted as early as April and May and are identifiable by their large arrow shaped leaves.
They hold leaf-like flower heads with a long inner spike which carries yellow flowers.
This spike produces the recognisable berries which Lola unfortunately ate.
All parts of the lords-and-ladies plants are poisonous and are known to cause irritation in the mouth and throat which can result in difficulty breathing.
The plant – also known as cuckoo pint (Arum maculatum) – is found in farmland, woodland, towns and gardens.
