A devastated dog owner is warning other pet owners to take extra care after his family dog died when it ate poison believed to have been laid by badger baiters.

Marek Jakubczyk, his wife Ruth and their two children returned to their Clapton-in- Gordano home after a family holiday on Saturday evening to find their two Dobermans, Caz and Clyde, were unwell.

The dogs, both family pets, had been away with a pet sitter during the holiday and were bought back to the Caswell Lane property and let out in the garden.

Later, as the family unpacked, both dogs became unwell and on Sunday morning, four-and-a-half-year- old Caz disappeared.

The distraught family found their beloved pet, which they had rescued as a pup, dead in woodland in the back garden.

Mr Jakubczyk's daughter Phoebe, 5, discovered a pot full of peanut butter mashed with slug pellets next to a large badger sett in the garden.

The family's other dog, Clyde, who is three-and-a-half years old, was also very unwell and was rushed to Vale Vets in Portishead, who said the poisoning would cause him to have seizures and he could also die. He was kept in an induced coma for 30 hours to prevent the seizures and pull through to return to the family home two days later.

The family's garden is on a plot of about seven acres and is completely fenced in.

Mr Jakubczyk, 46, said Caz's death had devastated the family.

Mr Jakubczyk, a managing director of a security company, said: "Initially we thought the dogs had just got a bug and it was nothing more serious.

"When Caz disappeared, we went to look for him and while we were out, we received a phone call saying my daughter had found a pot in the garden next to the badger sett which had a peanut butter paste with blue slug pellets in it. We rang the vets immediately who said it was likely our dog had been poisoned and had suffered a seizure.

"We then found him dead in the woodland."

It is thought that Clyde survived because he was younger and, as the less dominant of the pair, had perhaps not eaten as much of the poison.

Mr Jakubczyk said: "The dogs are family pets and Caz's death has devastated us all, especially the children.

"It is horrifying to think my daughter handled this stuff and could also have become unwell."

Blood tests carried out by veterinary staff are expected to confirm the cause of death as slug pellet poisoning.

Mr Jacubczyk said he wanted to warn other pet owners of what had happened and to urge them to take extra care while walking in surrounding woodland.

He said: "We want to get the message out there to people that this has happened.

"Our garden is completely fenced off and still someone got in and we believe it was to target the badger sett.

"There are lots of other setts in public areas in the surrounding countryside and I want to warn people that someone is out there doing this on purpose.

"I do not want another family to go through what we have been through."

The family are now so nervous about letting Clyde roam in the garden that they are building a large pen for him at the side of the house.

They have also said they are prepared to put up a substantial reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the poisoning.

Police have also been informed and scenes of crime officers have conducted a search and collected evidence from the garden. The family contacted the RSPCA, which is also investigating.