DEVIZES veterinary surgeon Ed Davies has warned owners of bulldogs, Pekinese or pugs to keep them cool in hot weather after a bulldog died in the back of a well-ventilated car being driven in the area.

The distraught owners of an 18-month-old bulldog named Cody arrived at Estcourt House Veterinary Centre on Saturday afternoon, the hottest day of the summer so far, with the unconscious animal.

Sadly, staff confirmed that the dog had already died.

The owner, who has asked not to be identified, said: "I still can't believe it happened.

"Cody was sunbathing in the garden all morning.

"In the afternoon I took her in the back of the car from Urchfont to Devizes.

"All the windows were open but it was very hot. When we got to Devizes we couldn't wake Cody, so we took her to the vet.

"No one told us that bulldogs are particularly susceptible to the heat.

"Because of the shape of their heads they can't breathe as well as other dogs but we didn't realise they can't lose enough heat by panting.

"The vet thinks Cody had a heart attack."

Cody's owners are devastated by their pet's death and said they wanted all other owners of the same breed of dog to know that their animals are at risk, so they can keep them cool in hot weather.

Mr Davies said that dogs with very short noses, known as brachiocephalic, tended to experience respiratory problems, but this kind of case was not common.

He said: "Sudden deaths in dogs are very unusual.

"Dogs cannot sweat and therefore lose heat by panting."

He explained that dogs with short noses find it more difficult to pant and therefore hot weather can put them under duress.

"Owners are well advised to do everything they can to keep their pets cool and avoid leaving them in cars for any length of time at all," he said.

"I know in this case the owners did not leave their animal in a parked vehicle, but this may be a good time to remind dog owners to avoid doing that anyway."