Grieving family's warning to dog owners after losing beloved pet to heatstroke

A student has shared a heartbreaking warning for dog owners after her beloved pet pooch died of heatstroke during the recent hot weather.

Courtney Rogers, from the Wirral, said she and her mother Debbie had waited until after 6pm to take four-year-old French bulldog Henry and Staffie Capone out for their walk on Tuesday.

As the mercury topped 30C during the day, she said they had waited until it got cooler before venturing out - packing a supply of water and testing the heat of the pavement with their hands before setting off to ensure the dogs' feet would not burn.

But within just 10 minutes, Henry had started to suffer.

In a post on Facebook which has been shared more than 18,000 times, she detailed Henry's painful final few hours.

"After having large drinks from his water, the panting only got worse, to the point were his chest was rattling, and he was plonking himself down in any shade he could find, refusing to move," she said.

They rang a family member to drive them home, where they tried to cool him down with a hose and wet towels.

When that didn't work, they rushed him to the nearest animal hospital - but overnight he suffered seizures and began vomiting blood, and passed away in the early hours of the following morning.

"The reason I have decided to share this, gruesome details included, is to not only convey how distraught I am, but to warn everyone who has a dog," she said.

"Before taking my dogs for a walk, we waited until the evening so it was much cooler than midday. We took a special doggy water bottle with an attachable bowl on it and even checked to see if the pavement was cool enough for Henry and Capone to walk on.

"But even taking these precautions, it still didn't help Henry."

The nurse told her that three other dogs had died of heatstroke and many more treated for it during the heatwave, she said.

"I can't bring Henry back - Capone has lost his little brother and is currently grieving, as the rest of us are," Courtney added.

"But this post can warn and potentially save other dogs, save other families from experiencing what we are."

Courtney's post in full: