A couple are facing thousands of pounds in veterinary bills after their dog slipped its disc on council land.

Scooby, a three-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel, suffered a slipped disc and his owners believe it was because of the long, uncut grass in front of their home.

Rebecca Richardson, 48, of Wickhurst Rise in Portslade, is blaming Brighton and Hove City Council.

She said: “We’ve been complaining to the council for four weeks, all the tenants have been trying to get the grass cut because it is so long but that’s not the real story here.

“My dog chased after a cat and caught his leg in the grass and now he has a slipped disc. Surgery will cost thousands of pounds.”

Mrs Richardson and her partner are both disabled so will be unable to afford veterinary surgery for Scooby.

Mrs Richardson said: “There’s nothing I can do. We can’t get any more help from the PDSA.

“If the council doesn’t help us out then I will have to ask members of the public for help.”

Crushed The disc Scooby has injured is a cushion of cartilage that lies just underneath the spine. It is a spongy, doughnut-shaped pad in the main joint between vertebrae.

If left untreated, a slipped disc can lead to paralysis in dogs.

Marc Abraham, named 2014 Vet of the Year at the CEVA Animals Welfare Awards, based in Brighton, said: “A slipped disc is a very serious condition, often requiring specialist treatment.

“It’s incredibly rare and unlucky for this type of injury to occur in this manner.”

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said it will investigate any complaint Mrs Richardson makes.