A beloved pet dog had to be rushed to the vets after eating something it picked up from the ground while on a walk. Although vets battled to save the life of Holden, the French Bulldog, he sadly passed away, leaving his owners devastated.
Owner Leanne Helm said the whole incident on Tuesday, March 7, "happened so fast" and has left them heartbroken. The 31-year-old said Holden was "really healthy" before Tuesday, when he picked something up from the footpath while out walking near Doonfoot in Ayr, Scotland.
Within seconds, Leanne said Holden, seven, was struggling to stand up and his eyes "rolled back in his head", the Daily Record reports. Within 15 minutes, Holden was at the vets and they battled for three hours to try and save his life but he tragically had to be put to sleep.
Leanne, an estate agent, said vets were not sure what had happened, but they said it was "something really sinister" that had attacked his brain. They suggested it could have been drugs he had picked up off the ground because of how fast it affected him.
She told the Record she had been left "absolutely devastated" by what happened. She said: "The whole thing happened so fast.
"Whatever it was, it acted in Holden's system within minutes and even though we got him to the vets quickly, they just looked at him and said straight away that he was in a bad way.
"After they ran tests we were told it didn't look like a normal poisoning due to how fast it happened and the severity of it. Their words were that they thought it was 'something really sinister'.
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"His heart-rate was high, but his liver function was fine. The vets said it was his brain it went for. They think it might have been drugs that he had eaten.
"They treated him with Naloxone, which is used to reverse opioid effects in humans, but that didn't work. They told us to prepare for the worst and they worked on him for three hours. They tried their best but eventually, they had to put him to sleep."
Leanne and partner Chris Hume have now been left devastated by the loss of their pet. Leanne added: "We are truly heartbroken. I always wanted a French Bulldog and Holden was just the best dog you could ever have.
"He was just so laid back, so stubborn - but brilliant. He was such a character. We have another two-year-old French Bulldog called Ozzy and he's lost without his big brother. He keeps looking everywhere for him.
"Holden was a really healthy boy. We just want people to be aware that this happened and to take extra care when walking your dogs. I would absolutely hate for anyone else to go through this."
Police were unable to investigate as there was no evidence of foul play. South Ayrshire Council declined to comment.
