Lewis Hamilton's well-travelled dog suffering with serious illness as carer issues update

's elderly bulldog Roscoe has been suffering with a serious illness, causing anxiety for the driver ahead of this weekend's . Roscoe is often spotted alongside Hamilton at race weekends, having travelled much of the world over the last decade. He is hugely popular with fans and even has his own Instagram account with over a million followers.

Last month, there was widespread concern when it was revealed that Roscoe had been diagnosed with pneumonia. The worrying news was delivered in the build-up to the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. His trainer, Kirstin McMillan, issued an update via Instagram to assure fans that he was receiving the best veterinary care.

"He is going to his vet today," said McMillan. "This is a vet that practises veterinary medicine where she combines Eastern and Western, that's an integrative pet practice.

"She's a real vet, she went to Davis and everything, but she went for a few years of additional training in holistic methods, Chinese medicine, acupuncture and things like that.

"What she is going to do with him today is a high-dose Vitamin C IV drop and this is supportive care. This is in addition to the strong antibiotics that he is correctly on for his pneumonia. And she'll do acupuncture on him, so this supports him."

Hamilton has since delivered another update on Roscoe's health ahead of this weekend's race at Imola. He admitted that his beloved dog might not be around for much longer as he approaches his 13th birthday.

"He's 12-and-a-half years old, so he's an old boy," said Hamilton. "He had pneumonia, but he's fine now, but definitely this is a time where every time I get a text message from the lady who's looking after him, my heart stops for a second.

"You know, what's next? I really want to try and bring him to Silverstone and take him to Monza and cheer him up. I was with him before Miami [the race before Imola]. He still wants to play. He still has that kind of spirit but he sleeps a lot."

Hamilton previously owned another bulldog, Coco, who died at the age of six from a suspected heart attack. At the time, he explained: "I tried to revive her but it was no use. She'd had the best day, happier than I'd seen her in a long time.

"She was such a special dog, born with so many problems and I feel so lucky to have adopted her. Her breeder said she was going to have to put her down as she wouldn't be able to afford all the things she would need to survive.

"She went through a lot to become the bouncy, lazy loving dog she was. On her last day, we shared a special moment playing together which I will never forget. I will miss her snoring and how happy she was always to see me."