NEED TO KNOW
- A dog fell ill after eating meat with rat poison hidden inside it while at a local park
- “I couldn’t get it out of his mouth,” owner Steve Badgery recalled when his English cocker spaniel William ate the tainted food
- Symptoms a dog will show if they have ingested rat poison include vomiting and coughing up blood
A dog became sick after accidentally consuming rat poison hidden inside meat at a local park.
Steve Badgery rushed his eight-year-old English cocker spaniel William to the vet after the dog recently “ingested up to six pellets of rat bait” that was in a contaminated piece of sausage left at Australia’s Weekley Park, the Daily Mail reported.
“I couldn’t get it out of his mouth. I picked up a piece off the ground and took it with me [to the vet] … so they could identify it,” Badgery said to the outlet.
Despite being told “the worst case scenario is death,” the pet owner said a veterinarian was able to rid most of the rat poison from his dog’s system.
The University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Sydney (UVTHS) later issued a warning for locals to “stay vigilant” after receiving reports of “sausage pieces containing rat or snail poison” at the community park.
“Dog owners, please be alert … These substances are highly toxic and can be life-threatening for dogs,” the organization wrote on Facebook.
“If your dog has visited this area recently and eaten anything suspicious, contact your vet immediately,” continued the UVTHS. “If you’re taking your pet to Weekley Park, stay vigilant: keep them on a leash, supervise them closely, and prevent them from eating anything off the ground.”
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According to Vets Now, symptoms a dog will show if they have ingested rat poison are vomiting, bleeding from the gums, coughing up blood, breathing difficulties and blood in their urine or poop.
After the scary situation, Badgery urged fellow pet owners, per the Daily Mail, “Keep an eye on [your dogs].”
“Try not to allow them to scavenge and eat things off the ground, because you just never know what people have done,” he added.
The Inner West Council in Sydney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday, Dec. 7.
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