A dog owner from Cornwall is still in shock after her beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel “almost died” after a visit to her local Pets at Home store.

Karen Roebuck, of Canonstown, near Hayle, said what should have been a routine grooming session turned into a harrowing ordeal as her three-year-old dog Molly’s tongue went purple and she struggled to breathe.

She took Molly to the Groom Room at Pets at Home, Penzance, on Tuesday, April 23, at 9am for a grooming session.

Karen told Cornwall Live that she picked her pet up at 11.30am: “As I was taking her home she was panting heavily and struggling to breathe. She was making terrible noises – even the bus driver asked if she was okay. She really was fighting for every breath."

A Pets at Home spokesperson said: “We do recognise the distress that Mrs Roebuck would have experienced which is why we offered to cover the cost of the vet bill as a goodwill gesture and we are glad to hear that Molly has now made a good recovery.”

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