Mystery dog sickness linked to beach walks

Roo and Penny were last on the beach on 30 December with Roo becoming poorly shortly after

A mystery illness causing dogs to become seriously ill has been linked to walks on beaches along the Yorkshire coast.

Dog owner Cath Baggins said her cocker spaniel puppy Roo had spent six days in a vets after visiting Bridlington.

Multiple cases of severe vomiting and diarrhoea have been reported by veterinary businesses in the area.

The cause of the condition remains unknown but owners have been advised take care around beaches.

Ms Baggins said she took both of her dogs - five-month-old Roo and seven-year-old Penny - to Fraisthorpe Beach on 30 December, and Roo started showing symptoms the next day.

She was taken to an emergency vets for an anti-sickness injection, but became dehydrated and spent almost a week undergoing tests but nothing was found.

"Bloods came back fine as did an X-ray," Ms Baggins said. "We may never know what it is."

Ms Baggins' said Penny was not sick and said that she thought Roo's age might have made her more susceptible to infection.

She has been recovering at home but Ms Biggins said the experience had "put us off the beach".

Dogs which became ill are reported to have been previously walked on beaches, including at Bridlington

Veterinary nurse Brogan Proud, whose company Yorkshire Coast Pet Care provides at-home treatments, said there had been many reports of the condition in the last two to three weeks.

"I work within several practices up and down the North East coast and we have recently been inundated with dogs coming off the beaches with vomiting and diarrhoea," she said.

Dozens of dog owners responded a Facebook post on Ms Proud's page warning people to take care around beaches, with some reporting that their dogs had become ill after walks in Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay, South Gare near Redcar and South Beach at Bridlington.

Ms Proud said she would "not recommend" taking dogs on the beach for the foreseeable future.

"The cases seem to have risen suddenly in the last two to three weeks and they don't seem to slowing down yet," she told the BBC.

"If your dog is showing symptoms, please let the local authorities aware as well as seeking veterinary attention should your pet need it."

Sue Beck, manager of Beck Veterinary Practice, Whitby, said she had recently seen a number of pets with the same symptoms.

The local council had been alerted, she said, and the surgery was investigating but was "unsure of the primary cause".

"I encourage people to be aware and mindful, and if they are on the beach, or anywhere, not to let their dogs off the lead so they can see what they are eating," she said.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was aware of the incidents and was in contact with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

"We are not aware of any link with the issue of crustaceans washed ashore in the area late last year," Defra said.