Dog 'killed by fireworks': 'Stress-induced stroke' whippet put down

A dog owner had to put her beloved pet down after the animal suffered a stroke, believed to have been triggered by fireworks being set off through the night.

Lucy Gell, 56, had been using a radio to mask the sound of fireworks, but said whippet Betsy was discovered in distress once the family had gone to bed.

'We were in bed, the radio was turned off and she had an adverse reaction to the fireworks,' she said.

'We heard the other dogs barking and went downstairs. She was in real distress and had lost the use of one of her back legs. Her tongue had gone white.'

Ms Gell, from New Mills, Derbyshire, took the dog to an emergency vet in Macclesfield, Cheshire, on the night of October 26, who told her the blood supply to Betsy's leg had stopped because of a stroke. 

It later led to the full loss of her legs and the animal was put down on October 27.

Under current law, fireworks can be bought by anyone aged 18 or over and let off up until 11pm at night – or 1am on Bonfire Night, New Year's Eve, at Chinese New Year or Diwali. 

Ms Gell, a puppet animator, called on people to consider the impact of unorganised firework displays in the wake of her tragedy.

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She said: 'It's the randomness of it that people can just buy them and they can let them go off at any time.'

Ms Gell said Betsy was a healthy dog but that her reaction to fireworks was getting 'worse and worse'.

'Betsy wasn't always scared of fireworks – it's just been in recent years after she grew older,' she said. 

After her partner spent 'ages and ages' with their pets, Ms Gell followed him downstairs and told how she saw Betsy 'crying, distressed and unsettled'.

She said: 'It was very clear she'd lost the use of one of her back legs and her tongue had gone white from loss of circulation. I spent a couple of hours with her. She calmed down and went to sleep, so we went to bed.'

But worse was to follow the next morning.

'I found her in the kitchen lying by the back door. There was poo all over the floor and she didn't have use of any of her legs. 

'We called the emergency vet and took her straight away. There was nothing they could do for her - she had to be put to sleep,' she said.

'There was nothing we could do so we had to make the decision to have her put to sleep. It was heartbreaking,' she said.

'It's just the circumstances, the issue was the fireworks. I don't mind organised displays but it's the randomness of it that people can just buy them and there is no legislation that they can go off at any time.'

Ms Gell called for a change to the law to limit the availability of fireworks. 

'When I was growing up in the 1970s and 80s, (Bonfire Night) was all about fireworks that were pretty; it was a nice, social event, gathered around a fire with sparklers. Now it's just noise, loud bangs.

'Fireworks-makers are catering for the demand - people want the loud ones which go off in the sky – but what people have to remember is that animals' hearing is so much more sensitive than that of humans. Even small bangs affect a dog or cat.

'I think the 11pm limit is unacceptable – not everyone wants to hear it. People should let their neighbours know if they are letting off fireworks.

'I think there needs to be a change in the law so fireworks aren't so readily available. You can buy them once you're 18 but a lot of people are still too immature then. I think the minimum age should be raised to 25.'

Ms Gell worked on the 1996 Tim Burton film Mars Attacks!, starring Jack Nicholson, and the BBC animated children's series Brambly Hedge, from the same era. 

The artist, who went on to become a puppet animator, working on shops such as Noddy, Postman Pat and Bob the Builder, urged people to be mindful of the effects letting off fireworks can have on pets and people with PTSD, including veterans.

Carrie Stones, An RSPCA campaign manager, said the charity is behind a push to change laws around fireworks, which includes a push for light shows, drone displays and capping how loud a firework can be to 90 decibels.

'For people with pets, the stress and anxiety around firework season can build resentment with more than half of people telling us that they dread it because of the impact they have on them and their animals.

'We've seen reports and video footage from people showing dogs shaking, panting in fear and trying to hide. We've seen horses bouncing off the walls off their stables during fireworks displays.

'This is why we want to see changes to firework legislation.'

A deer found next to a cliff in Aberdeenshire with 'catastrophic injuries' was also likely spooked by fireworks, experts warned in the latest such case.

The animal was found alive at the foot of cliffs in Crovie, Aberdeenshire, on Sunday, suffering from a 'badly fractured jaw and multiple leg fractures..'

New Arc Wildlife Rescue, a charity based in the area, were called out to the scene, but sadly, had to euthanize the deer due to the extent of its injuries.

After speaking to members of the public who reported hearing fireworks being set off, charity staff believe that the animal was 'spooked' by the sounds, fleeing and falling over the cliff edge.

'With a badly fractured jaw, and multiple leg fractures, it was clear the deer had fallen from the cliffs above,' said a representative from New Arc Wildlife.

'Sadly due to the extent of the injuries we had no choice but to end the deer's suffering immediately.'

'Although we can only speculate as to what caused the deer to fall down the cliff, members of the public present at the scene stated there was a firework event adjacent to the incident location the previous night which may have spooked the deer.

'As it isn't a common event to find deer who have fallen from height, it is clear that something would have spooked the deer to cause it to run over the edge.

'Fireworks can be problematic for both vulnerable members of society, pets, livestock and wild animals.'

The charity have now urged members of the public to get involved with 'fantastic' campaigns to address unregulated usage of fireworks.