A PET owner is warning dog walkers after her beloved pet ate a discarded ‘laughing gas’ canister. 

Lainey Paul was walking beloved beagle Ruggers in fields near the Frank Foley Parkway. 

Ruggers, whose breed is known for always being hungry, was eating something in the field, but owner Lainey assumed it was grass and called him away. 

“It’s our normal walking route,” She said.  “He was busy playing in the snow, I thought he was eating grass so I called him away.

“A few hours later he just wasn’t himself. He was agitated and couldn’t settle. We knew something wasn’t right. 

“The next day, he was struggling to pass something, but we saw it was a nitrous oxide canister. It had been inside him for a day and a half, we were quite worried.”

Mrs Paul phoned Bridge Vets in Highbridge for advice.

Mrs Paul was advised to keep an eye on him in case he were to become unwell as there were fears he could vomit or have cardiac problems. 

Jenny Winslade, vet at Bridge Vets, called the poison control hotline who confirmed what the canister was made of.

It was discovered that it was made of aluminium, not lead or zinc - which would have caused serious concerns. 

It wasn’t certain how many Ruggers had eaten. 

The canisters, which were found in the field, have genuine uses but are sometimes used as a recreational drug. 

Known as ‘nos’ or ‘laughing gas’, breathing in the gas can make people feel euphoric and relaxed. 

The gas is used to numb pain during medical procedures, used in engines to increase power output, and used in catering to prevent whipped cream going bad. 

Vet Winslade said: "We rang the poison control hotline for vets as it is possible the dog could be in the some trouble if the canister is pierced.

"The affects are similar to that on a human, it can cause cardiac problems as well as affecting the dog mentally.

"Another problem would have been if the foreign object obstructed the gut, that would have involved surgery.

"The woman on the phone said she'd never heard of a dog eating one of these canisters before.

"We would have had a serious problem if he hadn't passed it."

The relieved dog owner added: “I knew what it was because I had seem them around before, I never thought to pick them up. 

“I went back to the field to check for more but I couldn’t find any. From now on, if I see any I will definitely pick them up. 

“Ruggers is back to himself now but it was a scary 48 hours. 

"I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through the scare.

"I’m not sure what would have happened if he had pierced the canister.”