A dog was rushed to the vets after taking a funny turn following a walk in a local park - with other owners reporting similar occurrences.

On Wednesday, May 8, Maidenhead resident Caroline took her three year old spaniel mix on a walk at Braywick Park - but less than two hours after getting home she was rushed to the vet.

"We went on our usual walk at Braywick via the football pitches and along the path through the woodland up to the to the grassland," Caroline said.

Being wary following news of pollution in local rivers and streams, Caroline said she was keen to avoid the low lying waterside paths, so stuck to higher ground.

"We did a loop and went back to the car as normal - she was perfectly happy on the walk.

"We did see a couple of youngsters sat in bushes and a man on a bike. Lots of other dog walkers - nothing alarming."

Around 45 minutes later Luna was "sitting funny" and did not respond to her dinner being put down an hour later.

"When she did finally get up she was very wobbly and shaky. She did not seem coordinated," Caroline said.

"We decided to call the vet and they booked us in for an out of hours appointment.

"After I got off the phone with the vet Luna's head dropped and we could see she was getting worse. We jumped in the car and rushed to the vets."

At the vets Luna was seen to straight away - with more symptoms showing including signs of incontinence and issues with her reflexes. 

"The vet said it could be a neurological problem or it could be a toxin, whether that was anything in the environment or she may have even come across some drugs that could have affected her," Caroline said. "We didn't see her eat anything on the walk."

When asked whether she would return to the park, Caroline said: "Definitely not. It was really quite scary. The vet had to keep her in overnight."

In the vets care Luna was put on a drip and was given medication to make her sick.

Once home she was given charcoal to line her stomach against anything left in her system and quickly recovered over the next few days.

Caroline added: "Be very cautious if you go to Braywick. Watch your dog and what they are eating. 

"I have noticed on a Facebook group, another lady's dog has had very similar experiences at Braywick and had to go to the vet, and again with a local lady who has a cat."

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead manage Braywick Park.

A council spokesperson said: “The council takes the welfare of all those who use our parks seriously, and our Community Wardens will be attending Braywick Park to do a walk around to check for signs of anything that may cause an issue for pets.

“As usual, we ask owners to keep dogs under supervision while being walked in any of our parks and open spaces, and ideally kept on a lead on any sports fields.

“If anyone sees anything suspicious, please let Thames Valley Police know through their website.”