A lost dog was discovered by drone after her desperate owner made an appeal on Facebook.

The labrador had been trapped in a rapeseed field for 36 hours, and was only found when a local businessman used his drone to locate her in the shoulder-height crop.

Yvonne Moores, 81, had taken Maisie, her 20-month-old puppy, for a walk in Hordle, Hampshire when she ran into the field and her lead became entangled in the vegetation.

After searching without success, the concerned owner enlisted the help of drone-owner Ryan Mullen, who found the dog with little daylight left.

Dame Yvonne, a former Chief Nursing Officer, said: “Maisie was on a lead but escaped and ran off into one of the large fields of rape near our house.

“I called her back but the rape was very tall so we couldn’t see her… it turned out the rape had become twisted around her lead and she was trapped right in the middle of the field.

“We would never have found her without the drone - it’s just amazing what technology can do.

“She would have certainly died without social media, new technology and a wonderful family who had a drone.”

After searching for Maisie with her husband, Dame Yvonne put out a plea for help on a local Facebook page for someone who lived nearby and owned a drone.

She also appealed for tracker dogs, but was told that they would could not head into the rape field. Some dogs are allergic to the crop, which can cause breathing difficulties and vomiting if eaten.

Mr Mullen, 36, learned about the Facebook post from his wife, and set out to search for Maisie with his drone and seven-year-old daughter, who was “obsessed” with finding the labrador.

He used his drone to scan the field from above, discovering the dog curled up on the ground after spotting a patch of trampled grass that gave away her location.

The father of four said: “My daughter was obsessed with finding the dog.

“I went out for about half an hour, but it was really windy and the battery ran out so we had to go home, charge it and went straight back out.

“It was about 8pm and we were losing the light. My daughter could hear the faintest of bark, and then looking at the screen we spotted a section of the field which was trampled down.”

Mr Mullen said that he had to stop and untangle the shoulder-height crop from his legs as he waded in to retrieve the dog.

He said: “I’m 5ft 11in but the rapeseed was up to my shoulders, I had to have [my daughter] on my shoulder.

“It was fantastic to find her, absolutely brilliant to have a happy ending - 36 hours is a long time to lose a dog.

“My daughter would have been devastated if we hadn’t found her, so I was more excited than anyone else.”

Dame Yvonne said: “We had to cut our way through the rape to get to her.

“When she heard us she was barking and just over the moon to see me. All her long lead had pulled around her neck quite tight.

“She knew how to get home as soon as we released her - hopefully the farmer doesn’t tell us off for trespassing.”