A DEVASTATED Kendal dog owner has warned pet walkers to beware a deadly poisonous plant which killed her cocker spaniel.

Andrea King said three-year-old Milo ingested the toxic plant water hemlock while being walked with her other dog, Sammy, in Sandy Bottoms on the bank of the River Kent near Homebase.

"The walk took around 45 mins and within that time I was aware of Milo crunching on something down by the banking next to the river," said Andrea.

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Within 15 minutes of arriving home, Milo was taken seriously ill and died on his way to the vet's.

"It was later confirmed by Westmorland Veterinary Centre, after Kevin King took in a sample from the banking, that Milo's death was caused by the root of a water hemlock plant which is highly toxic, not only to animals but also humans," said Andrea.

"Milo was a treasured and much loved member of our family we are absolutely devastated and shocked by his sudden death.

"He was such a sweet, loving dog with boundless energy a huge part of our family, we miss our bundle of fun, especially our youngest daughter Libbie, aged10 years.

"They were very close and his half brother Sammy, our other dog, who is completely lost without his companion, the whole family is heartbroken.

"Unfortunately we cannot do anything to bring back Milo but we must now warn others and avoid any further loss of life, we would hate for any other family to go through the heartache that we have."

After Milo's death, Andrea's friend Amanda Bullock posted a message on Facebook to make dog owners aware of the dangers in Sandy Bottom area.

"This message was then shared and within days it seemed most of the community knew about the incident, which was such a good thing," said Andrea. "We have received over 200 messages of sympathy from people in the community and also messages of thanks for keeping them informed and helping them keep their animals safe. I cannot thank people enough for their kindness which has been a massive comfort.”

Andrea said she informed environmental health officials at South Lakeland District Council about Milo's death.

She added: "They told me this is not the first incident at Sandy Bottoms and they are very concerned that people do not try and go down there and remove the plant because it is also harmful to humans."