A DAFT dog has been brought back from the brink of death after he scoffed hundreds of poisonous slug pellets.

Just a few of the pellets can be deadly to a dog, but greedy labrador-crossbreed Milo wolfed down a whole pot.

Milo started to vomit and shake violently as the chemicals entered his bloodstream and he was rushed to an emergency veterinary clinic.

He needed three days of round-the-clock care, having the toxic pellets flushed from his system as his family prepared to say goodbye, but on the fourth the lucky mutt made a miraculous recovery.

His owner, Zoe Earle, 40, realised what had happened when she gave the five year old dog his evening meal at around 7pm and he started to vomit up the pellets.

Ms Earle, from Southampton, Hants, rushed Milo to a Vets Now pet emergency clinic which stays open through the night, but his hind legs had already given way.

Veterinarians and nurses at the clinic tried to stabilise the dog, giving him fluids and drugs to control seizures brought on by the slug poison and help him fight off the effects of the toxins.

But panting Milo had eaten so many of the pellets – which Zoe had put in a garden pot while she cleared out her garage – that vets thought he wouldn't survive.

Children’s entertainer Ms Earle said it was only under the care of Vets Now staff, including nurse Leigh Phillips, that Milo pulled through.

Ms Earle said: “It was horrendous seeing poor Milo like that. The vet nurse, Leigh, was very kind and said she’d do everything she could to save Milo.

"But we were warned by the vet that his condition was so serious we must be prepared for putting him to sleep.”

Milo spent two nights at Vet Now, and was transferred to the PDSA pet hospital in Southampton for his daytime treatment.

On the third morning, Ms Earle took her two children, Dillon, 14, and Briony, 20, to say their goodbyes to their pet.

But to their astonishment, Milo's condition had improved.

Ms Earle said: "We went in to see him and I don’t know who was more pleased — him to see us or us to see him.

"He was still pretty drowsy but we were able to take him home later in the afternoon and I just felt a huge sense of relief.

“By the next morning, he was pretty much back to normal.

“I really can’t imagine life without Milo and I’m so hugely, hugely grateful to everyone at Vets Now and the PDSA.

"They saved his life. It’s as simple as that.

She added she had been 'wracked with guilt' over Milo eating the slug pellets.

She said: "It was my fault he got the pellets. I was clearing out the garage and all the pellets fell out of a cupboard.

"So I swept them up and put them in a pot, thinking I’d put them away again once I’d finished tidying.

“I went off to rubbish tip and forgot about the pellets – and at some point that afternoon Milo found the pot in the garden and ate every single one.

“There were two large handfuls of them - there must have been at least 100 - and he ate them all.

“In the past, he’s managed to eat through a box of chocolates and also a whole Easter egg, but that was nothing like this.”

After a check-up visit at Vets Now, veterinary nurse Leigh said: "It was very emotional seeing Milo again. Much of the time he’d spent with us he’d been unconscious.

“So to see him back on his feet brought a tear to my eye. Slug pellets are incredibly dangerous for dogs. Just eating one or two can be fatal in some cases.

“So for Milo to pull through after eating as many as he did really is a miracle. He’s a very lucky dog indeed.”