Devastated parents have shared the heartbreaking moment they had to tell their 5-year-old son the family dog had died after eating food people had left behind on a beach.
Now the family is urging people not to leave their food trash on beaches after their beloved dog Bandit died after eating two discarded corn husks.
Owner Francis Howarth was walking her Welsh Springer Spaniel on a beach near her home in Lancashire, England, when the dog found the littered food.
Francis tried to stop her dog from eating the food but didn’t realize how much he had eaten of the sweetcorn – which can be dangerous for a dog when consumed in large quantities.
Two days later Bandit started vomiting and she rushed him to the vet where he had to have surgery to remove the corn husks which were lodged in his stomach.
They were told Bandit should recover as he was a young, healthy dog but days later he started vomiting again and was taken to the vet. This time the surgery revealed a more serious issue.
“There were large sacks of puss which caused peritonitis,” a heartbroken Francis said, as per the Metro newspaper. “There was nothing more that they could do to help him, they just had to let him go.”
Now Francis and her husband Nolan have shared a video of the moment they told their son Michael that their sweet dog had passed to raise awareness of the problems of littering.
Alongside the video, Nolan wrote: “This is what happens when you don’t pick up litter. This is what you do to five-year-olds, you break their heart.”
Michael is an only child and has bonded even more with their precious pup since lockdown, Francis explained.
“He keeps crying and we’re just trying to explain as best as we can to a five-year-old about rainbow bridge…. We’ve decided that in the clouds if there is ever a shape we’ll say ‘there’s Bandit in the clouds looking down on us’.”
Francis is now warning people of the dangers of littering.
“It’s just pure laziness that results in complete and utter heartbreak.”
My heart goes out to this sweet boy and his family, I’m so sorry for your loss.
Please share this important warning with others so no other child has to endure such heartbreak.
