A DISTRAUGHT woman has told of her heartbreak at discovering her beloved dog had died after swallowing just a tiny number of slug pellets.

Even though there was a warning on the container that the pellets could be harmful to pets, she is urging people to be extra careful with their use because she did not expect them to kill.

Debbie Harris, of Winchat Grove, Kidderminster, lost six-year-old dalmatian cross Suzie when the pet ate the pellets in her parents' garden in Lansdown Green.

She said: "My parents were looking after her but when they got home Suzie had had a fit and she was having convulsions before she fell into a coma.

"We rushed her to the vets but she was brain damaged and had to be put to sleep two days later."

The pellets contained a dangerous chemical - metaldehyde - which is poisonous to slugs, and which Mrs Harris believes may have been fatal to Suzie.

She added: "I went to the shop where I bought the pellets afterwards, but was told there was not much they could do about it.

"That is fair enough, but when the label warns the pellets could be dangerous to pets, I wouldn't expect them to be able to kill a dog. I just want to warn people about how dangerous these pellets can be.

"I know Suzie only ate a few because there was a tiny gap in the garden where some were missing."

A spokesman for the manufacturers of the pellets, the Wilkinson Group of Companies, said: "We have sympathy about the incident but the label on the pellets container does make the warning clear."