A distraught couple have warned fellow dog owners after their beloved pooch was stung by a jellyfish while playing in the sea and fell extremely ill.
Masha, a six-year-old Lurcher, erupted in hives over her face causing painful itching after crossing paths with a compass jellyfish while running in and out of shallow water at Eype Beach in Dorset.
Owners Charlie Powell, 24, and his girlfriend Abigail Phillips, 21, a dog behaviourist, called the vets straight away.
Charlie, a radiographer, said: ‘My girlfriend has been training dogs all her life and she's never seen anything like this. We were really worried, it was shocking.'
Masha was rushed to the surgery and given a steroid injection but still became very tired and developed loose skin on her face due to ‘intense' swelling.
Charlie Powell (seen with girlfriend Abigail Phillips) has warned fellow dog owners about the risk of jellyfish even in shallow waters after one's sting left the couple's pet extremely ill
Masha, a six-year-old Lurcher, erupted in hives over her face causing painful itching after crossing paths with a compass jellyfish
Charlie, a 24-year-old radiographer said his partner – who works with dogs – had ‘never seen anything like this' before when Masha started vomiting on Eype Beach (pictured), Dorset, repeatedly after playing in shallow water
The couple, from Bristol, were on holiday on the Jurassic Coast with Masha and their other dog Sadie when the incident occurred.
They say that Masha has since made a full recovery but have called for notice boards to be put up to alert other dog owners of the dangers of jellyfish stings as the beaches become busier during the summer holidays.
Charlie added: ‘We just went to Eype Beach on holiday and the dogs were paddling in the shallow waters.
‘My girlfriend then shouted me over as one of our dogs was beginning to throw up continuously.
‘I cleaned up the vomit and saw Masha suddenly started erupting in hives all over her face.
‘I was really worried and immediately phoned the vet. It was a really dramatic change.
‘She's so full of energy and it was really sad to see her suddenly so down and ill.'
The 24-year-old called on more to be done to warn people on the risks of jellyfish in the area, even in shallow waters, and what to do if a dog is stung.
Charlie added: ”She's so full of energy and it was really sad to see her suddenly so down and ill'
Masha, seen with the couple's other dog, Sadie, has since made a full recovery
The Wildlife Trust confirmed compass jellyfish (seen) have a ‘nasty sting' and urged people to keep themselves and their pets at a distance from the sea creatures
‘I think it might be a good idea to put something on notice boards,' he suggested.
‘I think it's important to be mindful even though we view British shores as quite peaceful locations, it's important to remember even if we might not necessarily get hurt, our dogs can have nasty reaction.'
The compass jellyfish, Latin name Chrysaora hysoscella, is translucent with a yellow-white tinge and is up to 12 inches in diameter, with 24 long thin tentacles and four dangling ‘arms'.
They are found in southern British waters over the summer and got their name from the brown markings on their domed tops which resemble the navigational tool.
The Wildlife Trust confirmed they have a ‘nasty sting' and urged people to keep themselves and their pets at a distance from the sea creatures.
