A woman was left with life-changing injuries and "thought she was going to die" after being trampled by a herd of angry cows.

Former officer Janicke Tvedt, 55, feared for her life when cows mistook her eight-year-old Labrador Goose for a threat to their youngsters.

But the mum was left with seven broken ribs, hoof marks on her chest and legs and needed part of her colon removed last July.

The woman, who served in the conflict Bosnia, was out for a walk with partner David Hood when they found the 30-strong herd in rural North Yorkshire.

However, she was quickly pulled down and pinned against a fence as the “snorting” animals viciously stamped on her body, leading her belly to swell up like a "watermelon".

She only managed to escape when her army training kicked in and she went into "survival mode”, climbing a tree, where she slipped in and out of consciousness before finally being airlifted to hospital.

She said: “I was convinced I was going to die I was trying to get in contact with my son because as far as I was concerned, that was it.

“Had there been a child or an elderly person there, they would not have survived – that’s how serious the attack was.

“What you’re supposed to do when you’re under attack by cattle is you’re supposed to let the dog off the lead and kick the dog away.

"It’s the dog that’s the issue – they see it as a predator.”

The dog was on a lead, and the pathway was one she had taken before without anything happening before the incident on July 25 last year.

Janicke added: “The cow was obviously startled by us, so she bolted directly at the dog, who was on a lead.

“She kicked the dog, and the dog ended up rolling on the ground.

“Then loads more cows came to her defence – they pinned us against the hedge. I had the dog very tightly on the lead, which is what I thought I was supposed to do.

“I stood there really still with my partner, not trying to be aggressive towards the cows, and after about ten minutes of sniffing us, I thought they were going to leave.

“Then a white one attacked the dog again, but in doing so, it hit me in the knees as well, and knocked me to the ground.”

Now lying flat on her back, the cows took it in turns to viciously trample Janicke while her distraught partner watched on helplessly.

Since the attack, Janicke has been recovering, but now has a colostomy bag due to injuries with her bowels.

In October, she joined a gym and can now bend down to the floor and get up again.

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