A dog owner has offered a stark warning as her beloved pooch fights for life after contracting a deadly ‘rat’ disease whilst on a walk.
Natalia Fraczek, 18, from Grimsby, had taken her Dachshund Ula for a walk around the town before she become ill four days later.
Ula began vomiting and refusing to eat or drink on Sunday and when her symptoms didn’t improve Natalia rushed her to the Blue Cross.
It was there where vets discovered Ula had contracted Weil's Disease, also known as Leptospirosis.
According to the NHS, Weil’s Disease is spread through the urine of infected animals, most commonly rats, mice, cows, pigs, and dogs. It can also be caught through soil and water that is contaminated with infected urine.
It causes toxins to attack vital organs in the body, including the liver and the kidneys.
Now, Ula’s life hangs in the balance. She is on life support but if she does not show improvement any time soon, she may have to be put down.
Natalia says she wouldn’t wish this heartache "on her worst enemy" after watching her pooch fight for her life.
She explained: "Ula went for a walk with my mum on Wednesday to People's Park and was absolutely fine until four days later when she fell ill. We noticed something was wrong on Sunday morning as she kept throwing up and wasn't eating.
"She was clenching her jaw she was in that much pain and began shaking on Monday, that was when we decided to take her in. We found out that the toxins in her body had attacked her liver and kidneys. It's got that bad that she's now been put in isolation and we don't know if she'll make it."
She added: "The vets told us they'll give her 24 hours to see any improvement and then another 24 hours before we have to start thinking about euthanising her." For Natalia, it's something that doesn't bear thinking about.
"It's really upsetting to think this may be the case, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."
The disease is often passed on from rats and can be transmitted to other species simply through close contact.
Natalia says People's Park is the only place Ula had been walked before she fell ill and hopes it won't happen to any other dog owners.
"We've had Ula for four years and got her after the birth of my brother so this has been really hard on all our family. She's part of our family and is like a little person to us. We are always so wary when we're out walking her and will be even more so if she survives.
"I just don't want anyone else to have to go through what we have. It's quite worrying, to say the least, I'm now checking my other pets to make sure they don't start showing signs of it."
