Dog owner minutes from putting spaniel down after Wyre Forest poisoning

A Worcestershire dog owner says he was two minutes away from putting one his spaniels down after it was poisoned in the Wyre Forest.

Connor Porter, from Kidderminster, says his working, fit and healthy spaniel dropped down and had a seizure, resulting in him being unresponsive for two and a half hours.

He said the dog, called Gunner, couldn’t lift his head, wasn’t reacting when his nose or feet were pinched, had shallow breathing and was just lay limp.

Overcome with worry and panic, 27-year-old Mr Porter said he also had a rush of adrenaline and dived down to rub his dog's belly to try and help him while in the woods.

But after taking him to the vets, Mr Porter said the toxins had taken effect and his body was shutting down, but suddenly his eyes gained focus again and he slightly lifted his head up and looked at him.

The vets then confirmed the dog had been poisoned.

"Luckily, due to him being an active, young and fit dog, he is managing to fight the toxins and regain control of his nerve system and get back on his feet," he said.

"However, if this was a younger puppy or an older dog it would or more than likely killed them. As the vets said, 'he’s a very lucky boy'.

"Just be cautious and keep a close eye on your dogs over there, my dog never eats anything on walks."

He said dog walkers shouldn't worry too much, but should be vigilant with what pets are doing when walking in the woods, the largest woodland national nature reserve in the country.