A dog owner has issued a warning after his beloved pooch suffered horrific facial burns from a dangerous plant near his home.
Flat-coated retriever Winston, aged four, developed painful sores on his nose and left eye after sniffing around a suspected giant hogweed plant while on a walk this month.
His devastated owner Barry O'Connell, 75, has urged pet owners and parents to stay away from the plant, which is found throughout the UK.
Winston, who is an assistance dog for Barry, has since been put on antibiotics and has a cone around his head to aid his recovery.
Barry, an ex-military dog handler from Clacton, Essex, said: "Looking at him like this is like seeing a Rolls Royce breaking down.
"We live in a popular seaside area. You imagine letting your dog or children out and then they run into something like this and it's game over.
"I just can't understand why there aren't any warning signs. Not to scare people but to educate them."
Giant hogweed is a common, cow parsley-like plant that is often found along hedgerows in the UK.
The sap of the plant can cause burns to dogs and humans, with blistering potentially lasting for years, according to the Woodland Trust.
The charity advises avoiding physical contact with the plant where possible.
Late last year the Mirror reported on cocker spaniel Hector, who fell ill and was sent into anaphylactic shock after he came into contact with the toxic plant.
Hector was rushed to a nearby vets and spent around five hours receiving treatment.
His owner, 24-year-old Emma, said: "Hector was on a walk on a long lead with my step-dad just near to Seton Sands Holiday Park in Port Seton when, as usual, he ran head-first into the long grass in a field.
"He has been there on countless occasions but this time it was very different. As soon as he came out he just didn't look right and he was pawing furiously at his face.
"After a few minutes his face was almost twice its normal size and he went into anaphylactic shock and spent all afternoon in the vets on an IV drip.
"My stepdad was panicking a bit but fortunately he rushed Hector to a vet in nearby Tranent where they said he has definitely come into contact with something toxic.
"It is hard to pinpoint the actual cause but I've been up to the field to have a look and there is a lot of giant hogweed in there.
"I hadn't noticed it before and I believe the recent hot weather has really brought it on.”
The dog owner also issued a stark warning to others about the dangerous plant, saying that while Hector was fortunate, run-ins with the plant can prove fatal.
