Molly-Mae Hague thought it was a "prank call" when the vet rang to say her puppy had died.
The former ‘Love Island’ star and her boyfriend Tommy Fury – who met on the ITV2 show – have been left heartbroken after their pet pooch Mr Chai suddenly passed away, but when she first heard the devastating news she thought it may be a prank, before the vet clarified the pet’s mysterious illness.
Speaking in a YouTube clip, she said: "For the first two days he was absolutely fine. From two days in, we started to pick up on a few things so we took him to the vet. I could tell something wasn’t right.
"The vet rang up and said Chai had a seizure and he died. Tommy literally threw up everywhere. I was like, ‘It’s a prank,’ as we get prank called all the time, and she was like, ‘No, your dog has died.’ "
The 21-year-old reality star was gifted the Pomeranian by her boxer boyfriend Tommy for her 21st birthday last week, but after the dog was taken ill the pair paid for a fast-track autopsy to understand what went wrong.
She explained: "Chai’s skull wasn’t fully developed. Part of his brain was exposed. In a tiny dog, any knock probably wasn’t very helpful.
"Whilst we completely understand everyone’s opinions about being shipped over from Russia, what you need to understand is that is not what made him die."
What’s more, Tiffany Puppies, the company who Tommy bought the pooch from, insisted "this have never happened before" because they only work with "trusted" and "reputable breeders".
They said in a statement to Newsbeat: "I only work with trusted people and have a small network of reputable breeders who care for their dogs to the very highest standards and see animals as part of their family.
"I have rigorous processes in place to check animal health and the suitability of forever homes providing support and guidance for health and wellbeing throughout.
"I have worked with dogs my entire life and this has never happened before."