A COUPLE has been left 'heartbroken', saying their dog had to be put down after it was left in a state of 'permanent seizure' because of fireworks in their street.

Loving dog-owners Laura Moss and her partner Michael Richardson are 'devastated' after their dog, in the midst of weeks of multiple seizures, had to be put down.

The seizures, they say, were brought on by fireworks going off near their Breightmet home and the pair are outraged that more regulations are not imposed on fireworks.

The couple's dog, Bella, was an 11-year-old rescue Staffordshire and English bull terrier cross, who suffered from epilepsy. Her condition had been under control for years thanks to drugs, but in recent weeks Bella's seizures flared up again as firework season started.

Ms Moss, 30, said: "Fireworks don't really begin on Bonfire Night, they have been going off for a while now and they have been more extreme this year — loud bangs started shaking the house and about two weeks ago, Bella had a seizure in the middle of the night." The couple spent £1,500 on vet appointments and medication, but the seizures continued to spiral.

Ms Moss said: "We have hardly had any sleep over the past two weeks. She was having seizures at 2am.

"We were trying to calm her down but the fireworks started again on Thursday and we had to take her to the Animal Trust in Bolton."

James Portsmouth, a lead vet for Animal Trust, said that the older pets get, the more likely they are to suffer during fireworks season, including symptoms like shaking, excessive barking in dogs, pacing, and other unusual behaviour. He said: "Primarily, it's a noise phobia that causes a lot of anxiety and fear because of the loud bangs. Pets don't understand why they are happening. Quite often it's a learned issue that tends to come on and on after a negative event, like a firework going off near them, or because of the cumulative effect over the years.

On Friday of last week, Bella suffered a tragic final blow. Ms Moss said: "She went into a seizure and never came out.

"We didn't even really get to say goodbye, she wasn't even there, she was so disorientated because of all the fireworks."

The couple are now mourning the loss of their 'best friend', with Ms Moss saying: "We do not have children, our dogs are our babies. It feels like my baby has been taken away from me. We're absolutely devastated."

The dog owners are now calling for more regulations on fireworks. Ms Moss said: "I don't want to be a party pooper, I love fireworks. but there should be set and regulations. They need to be more expensive and it's a disgrace that you can just sell fireworks to anyone over 18. It's every Tom, Dick and Harry setting them off. If there had not been so many, the vet said we could have got Bella through the weekend.

"It's not just me either. A lot of people have told me they have been through the same thing with their dogs. It's nice to get all the support but it's still not going to bring my Bella."

Mr Portsmouth suggested that fireworks could be kept to organised events, reducing the chance of fireworks unexpectedly being set off and giving pet owners time to prepare, saying 'it's the unknown ones that are often the biggest problems'.

The vet said there is no easy fix to keep pets safe and calm amid the loud noises, adding that calming drugs and therapy should be started at least a few months in advance to have a positive long term effect.. Mr Portsmouth said: "It can be frustrating. The message does not seem to be widely circulated that the training and therapy for noise phobia is quite long term. You often get people coming in when fireworks have already started, but you can be fairly limited in what you can achieve. Much earlier in the year we have a better chance."

On the night, however, there are some things pet owners can do to make their furry friends feel comfortable.

He said: "The natural response is to try and comfort them but what that might do is reinforce that there's something to be scared of. It's difficult, but what is best is ignoring panic and acting normal."

The vet suggested making sure they have a safe space, looking a anti-anxiety products available, altering walk times to be earlier and turning up the TV loudly to block out the bangs of fireworks.