Warning to dog owners after jellyfish sting on Eype Beach

Bristol couple Charlie Powell and girlfriend Abigail Phillips travelled to Eype Beach on holiday with their two dogs, Masha and Sadie, when their trip became a nightmare as one came into contact with a couple of jellyfish.

The couple say they were shocked when their lurcher dog Masha began to vomit “almost immediately” after coming out of the sea.

Bristol couple Charlie Powell and Abigail Phillips with dogs Sadie and Masha (Image: Charlie Powell)

The two species were identified as a moon and compass jellyfish and while the former has a mild sting, the latter species can give a nasty sing according to The Wildlife Trust website.

Charlie described how within 3 to 5 minutes of paddling in the water, Masha began to “erupt” in hives on her face which caused painful itching.

He said: “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.”

Hives erupted on dog Masha's mouth after coming into contact of a jellyfish in Eype Beach (Image: Charlie Powell)

“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. 

“My girlfriend has been training dogs all her life and she’s never seen anything like this. We were really worried, it was shocking.”

The six year old dog was promptly taken to the vet and given steroid injections. Charlie said Masha began to calm down in the next couple of hours however she became very tired and developed loose skin on her face due to "intense" swelling.

Charlie stressed that dog owners should be wary of any jellyfish they encounter on local beaches, which are expected to become especially busy during the school summer holidays. 

Dogs Sadie and Masha (Image: Charlie Powell)

He added: “I think it might be a good idea to put something on notice boards. It would be useful to have a warning of what can happen when dogs get stung. 

"The vets said it's a common occurrence as it can cause an allergic reaction from the dog. It can cause a lot of people panic as they might not have seen anything like it before."

"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."