A family have appealed to the public for help in finding their vulnerable dog who has been missing since Wednesday.

Khylah Sanchez, 31, said that her family were desperate to locate Bella, their 14-year-old English cocker spaniel who is deaf, losing her sight and needs daily medication for a hormone imbalance.

Ms Sanchez said: “There’s a little bit of desperation going into just wanting her back.

“She’s not just a pet. She’s a family member.”

Ms Sanchez, from the Spanish Point area of Pembroke, said she was caring for Bella with her sister while their parents, who own the dog, were overseas.

She said that her sister came home at about 6pm on Wednesday to feed Bella, but could not find her anywhere.

Ms Sanchez said: “She noticed that she wasn’t coming in the house to get any food. She looked around, but she couldn’t find her.

“My sister then called me thinking that I had come to check on her, which I had been doing some lunchtimes, but I didn’t happen to do it then.

“She asked me if I had her but I told her I didn’t, and that was when we were like, ‘OK, she’s missing’.”

Ms Sanchez said that Bella’s yard is sealed off by a gate, and suggested that the gate somehow opened, allowing Bella to leave the yard and locking her out when windy weather shut the gate.

She added that, while Bella had got loose in the past, she had never gone far and was always able to find her way home.

Bella’s disappearance was shared over Facebook, prompting many to be on the lookout for her.

Ms Sanchez said that there had been several neighbours who said they spotted Bella as early as 4pm on Wednesday, but either believed she was on her way back home or struggled to capture her.

She said that she felt “very supported” by the Pembroke community’s quick response, but became more concerned as time went on.

Ms Sanchez said: “My first concern is that she has fallen into a hole or a ditch somewhere and has hurt herself and is waiting for us to find her.

Ms Sanchez said that Bella suffered from Cushing’s disease, which causes her body to overproduce a stress hormone called ACTH.

She said that the disease was common in older dogs and was treatable, but requires a daily dose of medication.

She added that, given Bella’s 48-hour disappearance, she feared the worst for her dog’s health.

Ms Sanchez said that her parents got Bella as a puppy and considered her a member of the family.

She told The Royal Gazette that she moved out of the family home after getting married, but continued to help care for the dog.

She said: “She’s honestly a great dog. She can be a little timid around people that she doesn’t know, but she’s my mom’s shadow.

“She’s such a loyal companion. Everywhere my mom goes, she goes.”

Ms Sanchez added: “When she was younger, there was no limit to how many times you could throw a tennis ball for her across a field or our yard.

“One of her favourite treats is Cheerios. Literally nobody else in my family home eats Cheerios except for her.

“She’s just a great dog.”

Ms Sanchez said that anyone with information about Bella should call 335-0702, or Endsmeet Animal Hospital, the vet service she is registered with, on 236-3292.

She said that anyone who finds her could receive a monetary reward.