Multiple Mbombela dogs poisoned
Several Mbombela dogs have died due to being poisoned. Local vets have said the poison used was very fast-acting.
The death of multiple dogs in the Steiltes area have been reported following a spate of poisonings in the early hours of this morning, September 8.
One Steiltes resident, Staffies Rautenbach, told Lowvelder both his Yorkshire terriers have died due to the poisonings, and that he and his wife were devastated. The terriers were just five and a half months old, and called Moa and Boesman.
Rautenbach said messages on the local WhatsApp groups came flooding in from the early hours of the morning, and he believed over 10 houses had been targeted, resulting in multiple deaths. He said some people awoke this morning to find their dogs dead in their yards.
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Lowvelder saw several messages on some WhatsApp groups showing photos of the poison, and messages from various people stating their dogs had died. A total number of deaths has not yet been confirmed.
Rautenbach said his wife noticed at about about 01:00 that something was wrong with one of their dogs. He said one of the dogs died on the way to the vet, and the other died shortly after arriving there.
He said he had had three dogs, a German shepard and the two yorkies. He said the yorkies would often escape into the yard at night, but felt that even if people’s pets are kept indoors at night, the dogs could still ingest the poison when they are let out the next morning.
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Dr Molly Lubbinge of The Vets @ 66 said the poison seems to be very fast-acting and unlike any others she had seen in previous cases.
She said she was aware of at least four cases and at least three deaths.
“It is very difficult to say what type of poison it is without it having been tested. It is a blueish-green paste and was found rubbed on gates or rolled into balls and thrown in yards. It has a strong chemical smell to it,” she said.
“The blueish colour reminds one snail bait, which contains metaldehyde, which is very rapidly absorbed and can cause similar symptoms.”
The symptoms are severe shivers, muscle twitches and very severe salivation. She said it was reported to her that one of the dogs had died just 15 minutes after it had started to display symptoms.
She said a dog had been brought in this morning from secondary exposure. It had come into contact with the saliva of another dog that had been affected. She said the dog was still being treated and seemed to be recovering well, but that she would only know by the end of the day if it was out of the woods.
Lubbinge said to phone the vet immediately if your dog is displaying symptoms.
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“The only way to reverse the toxins in the bloodstream is to get an IV line in and administer the correct medications.”
She advised people to keep their dogs indoors at night and to always be vigilant of any strange foods or baits in yard.
Dr Jacqui Hardy of West Acres Animal Hospital said three dogs were brought to the hospital at about 02:00 this morning and were seen by her colleague, Dr Ulandi du Toit. One had already passed away on the way to the vet and the other two were extremely badly affected and died within a few minutes. She said all three were from the Steiltes area.
She also said the poison seemed to be more fast-acting than the usual ones used, and said that due to the colour, it appeared to possibly be snail bait, but that it could be combined with other chemicals too.
Typical signs of malicious poisoning include vomiting, diarrhoea, walking off balance and muscle tremors. This very quickly proceeds to seizures, respiratory failure and death.
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She said if one’s dogs are displaying symptoms of poisonings, such us muscle tremors and vomiting, they should call the vet immediately. “Save your vet’s emergency number on your phone so that you do not have to waste time trying to find numbers on the internet.”
She said because the poison is so fast-acting, time is of the essence, and trying to start treatments like activated charcoal at home could waste precious time in getting one’s pet help.
“The charcoal does bind toxins and it is often part of the treatment used for poisoning cases, but if symptoms have started showing, it means that some of the poison is already in the pet’s system and the charcoal cannot counteract what has already been absorbed. It can also be very risky to administer oral medication to an animal that is showing neurological signs. The animal will not be able to protect its airway, and this increases the risk of medication and vomit going into the lungs. Please call your vet and get your pet there as soon as possible so that appropriate antidotes and seizure medications can be given as fast as possible.”
