Keith Davies said his dogs showed symptoms such as lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhoea
Three of Keith Davies’ dogs have sadly died this month. (Image: Supplied)
A heartbroken Liverpool dog owner lost three pets in a week after a walk at a popular city woodland. Keith Davies, 54, from Woolton, took his four dogs for a walk at Childwall Woods on Wednesday, November 5.
His three youngest dogs were momentarily out of sight before returning caked in mud. Over the following week and a half, all three died. Liverpool City Council said there is no confirmed evidence of a virus or any link to the woods and the dogs’ illnesses, and the Parks and Green Spaces team has checked the area to ensure there are no hazards present.
The council urged people to seek veterinary care immediately if their dogs show signs of illness. The day after the walk, Keith’s five-month-old pug puppy Keira fell ill. The tiny puppy quickly went down hill and died on Monday, November 10. The following Wednesday, November 12, the two other dogs also became poorly.
Like Keira, Keith said the dogs showed symptoms similar to parvo virus including lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhoea, but all tested negative for the disease.
Keith’s ‘panda pug’, who sadly died this month. (Image: Supplied)
The two dogs, Kalvin and Karter, both only a year old, both died on Saturday, November 15. Keith’s oldest dog, four-year-old pug Keisha, has remained well throughout, despite attempting to nurse the poorly dogs.
Keith said the dogs, all pugs and frugs — a French bulldog-pug cross — were playing on an embankment close to Childwall Abbey. He said: “The three youngest were playing, disappearing and coming back up. They came back covered in mud.
“The day after the puppy got ill. She started to bring up her food. I came in Sunday morning and the dog jumped all over me, all happy, including the puppy. Sunday night, she wasn’t right at all and we took her to the vets, and they gave her an anti-sickness injection.
“By Monday morning she looked absolutely awful. I thought I was going to lose her in the car on the way to the vet. She was put on a glucose drip and oxygen, but sadly we lost her.
“I know she was my dog, but she was probably the prettiest puppy I’ve ever seen in my life. You couldn’t walk down the road without people wanting to take pictures of her. I haven’t seen another dog like her.”
Keith’s youngest dog, puppy Keira.(Image: Supplied)
Keith added: “On the Wednesday, the two boys got sick, exactly the same way. They were off their food.”
Keith said the vet tested three times for parvo virus, but all tests came back negative. The two dogs continued to go down hill, becoming very weak by the Friday, with Keith’s oldest dog looking after the pair.
The two dogs both died on Saturday morning. Keith met a member of the council’s Parks and Green Spaces team on the following Monday, November 17.
Keith said they inspected the embankment, which was thick with mud. He said: “I definitely think that they’ve picked something up in there, because the puppy got sick the day after.”
He added: “It’s been pretty traumatic. When we lost the puppy it was a total shock, and then with the other two I knew it was coming.”
A spokesperson for the council said: “Liverpool City Council is aware of some concerns following reports that dogs became ill after visiting Childwall Woods. We understand how worrying this is for pet owners and want to provide reassurance.
“We have received one direct report of dogs falling ill from an owner after being walked in Childwall Woods and other unconfirmed reports based on second hand information. At this stage, there is no confirmed evidence of a virus or any link to the woods and the dogs’ illnesses.
“As a precaution, our Parks and Green Spaces team have checked the area to ensure there are no hazards present.
“For advice on keeping pets healthy, please consult your local vet. If your dog shows signs of illness, seek veterinary care immediately.”
Do you have information? Contact jon.blackburn@liverpoolecho.co.uk