Heartbroken woman put down five dogs after being diagnosed with rare disease

A heartbroken woman was forced to tragically put down her five pet dogs after she became the first person in the UK to be diagnosed with an incredibly rare disease.

Wendy Hayes, 61, had to euthanise her beloved pets after they contracted Brucella canis from a Belarusian rescue dog she was fostering. Moosha, the infected dog, had only been in Wendy's home for three days before she started aborting her puppies all over the home in a "horrific" experience that lasted around 17 hours.

Initially, Wendy was put on a "stay at home" notice out of fear of rabies, however both she and the dog were diagnosed with the rare disease two months later. While human transmission of the disease is extremely rare, the grandmother-of-two began showing severe symptoms and still remains on antibiotics.

Read more: Benjamin Mendy was 'predator' who raped women in his mansion 'with special locking doors', court hears

Unfortunately, her other pets including Benson, a 13-year-old Jack Russell, Dougie, an 11-year-old Patterdale Cross, Tiny, a four-year-old Pug, and Max, nine, unknown breed, could not be saved.

Wendy said: "It felt so unreal, to think about how many people are in the UK, to think that this is the first ever for this type of strain. The doctors were actually quite excited.”

The devastated pet owner said she most likely contracted the disease through Moosha's birthing fluid and that the rescue dog had to be put down. She added: "All five dogs were put down, they were the innocent party in this. I blame this rescue, and I blame the government for letting it happen and not testing.

“The impact is devastating. The life went out of the house, it didn’t feel like home. There was a feeling of guilt as it was my choice to bring her into the