A dog owner has issued a warning after his beloved pooch suffered horrific facial burns from a dangerous plant,
Flat-coated retriever Winston, aged four, developed painful sores on his nose and left eye after sniffing around a suspected giant hogweed plant while on a walk this month.
His devastated owner Barry O’Connell, 75, has urged pet owners and parents to stay away from the plant, which is found throughout the UK.
Winston, who is an assistance dog for Barry, has since been put on antibiotics and has a cone around over his head in an attempt by vets to aid his recovery.
Barry, an ex-military dog handler from Clacton, Essex, said: “Looking at him like this is like seeing a Rolls Royce breaking down.
"We live in a popular seaside area. You imagine letting your dog or children out and then they run into something like this and it's game over.
"I just can't understand why there aren't any warning signs. Not to scare people but to educate them."
Giant hogweed is a common, cow parsley-like plant that is often found along hedgerows in the UK.
The sap of the plant can cause burns to dogs and humans, with blistering potentially lasting for years, according to the Woodland Trust.
The charity advises avoiding physical contact with the plant where possible.
Other plants such as Japanese Knotweed grow at a ridiculous rate and are near-impossible to get rid of and has ruined house sales - wiping thousands off property prices.
One woman told The Mirror she had nearly half the value of her aunt's home had been wiped off by the plant growing on an adjoining piece of land.
Elizabeth Abraham's Swansea home should fetch around £80,000 – but now the 91-year-old has been told it will not sell for more than £45,000 because of the untamed wild weed.
And in 2020 rail bosses paid out nearly £4million to homeowners battling Japanese knotweed.
Network Rail, which owns and maintains the railways and adjoining land, has settled 170 compensation claims over blighted homes in the past five years.
The £3.7million bill covered investigation work, damages and legal costs.
But it didn't include treating nearby properties for the weed, which works out at £18 to £30 per square metre – meaning the final bill could be even higher.
Japanese knotweed can spread and grow rapidly, blocking drains, cracking tarmac and damaging foundations, but unlike Giant Hogweed it dos not burn the skin.
