A MUM has been left heartbroken after she says her beloved rescue dog died from stress caused by fireworks.

Karen Harvey, 48, from Ayr found her French Bulldog, Phoebe, lying dead at home after, she claims, her ‘heart packed in’ due to the loud explosives.

Now the animal lover is hitting out and wants shops to start selling silent rockets in a desperate bid to save other pets.

She also has concerns about the negative impact fireworks have on the elderly and those suffering from PTSD.

Karen said: “Phoebe was just so stressed with the fireworks between Friday and Saturday night and it just caused her heart to pack in.

“She went through to the bedroom and when I went through half-an-hour later she was dead.

“She is normally okay with them but this year she was so panicky. She wouldn’t settle and was really worried.

“Phoebe was a rescue dog and I had her for over three years, she would have turned seven in December.

“Finding her was horrendous and really heartbreaking.

“Fireworks have been around for years but now with social media we are seeing the negative side of them.

“You can get silent ones in supermarkets so why not make them all silent not just for dogs but for people too.

“We just had Remembrance Day you have old people with PTSD and dementia who they will be frightening for.

“They can really be no good for humans or animals.

“I’m not saying ban them. I know it is a tradition we have always had and kids love them, but make them silent, it’s not fair on anybody otherwise.”

Recently Sainsbury’s became the first major British retailer to ban fireworks, three weeks before Bonfire Night, following concerns for pet safety.

The retailer, confirmed it would stop selling the products across all 2,300 of their stores this year.

But other major shops are keeping fireworks on their shelves and instead selling “silent” versions or including safety advice to protect animals.

It comes after new research found the majority of people in Scotland say they support a ban on the sale of fireworks to the public.

More than 16,000 people responded to a Scottish Government consultation on fireworks amid growing concerns about them being used irresponsibly and recklessly.

More than nine in 10 people said they want to see tighter controls on the sale of fireworks, while 92 per cent feel there should be tighter controls on how they can be used.