The poisoning of animals is a daily reality for Claw
What will be the end of the ongoing poisoning of animals, whether maliciously or accidentally?
Rescuing dogs that have been poisoned is a regular occurrence at Community Led Animal Welfare (Claw).
Cora Bailey from the rescue centre said poisonings don’t only occur on purpose, even though it does happen and there is a large criminal element to it. But in many cases, it happens due to poor refuse removal. She explained in their area the poison Aldicarb, better known as Two-Step, is used as a pesticide against rats, in truth the substance itself is a remedy against cutworms and root vegetables.
She noted the reason people buy it as a pesticide is because it is very cheap and instead of buying a whole bag a person can buy it in small amounts. The large concern is also that it is freely available despite being illegal. Dogs would then ingest it as many do not know how to dispose of it when it’s gone bad or they simply throw it in the rubbish bin, which becomes dangerous for stray animals when the rubbish isn’t being removed.
About the criminal aspect of poisonings, Bailey stated, “Criminals will buy the poison to disable a dog on a property they want to burgle. So we recommend that people shouldn’t have their dogs sleeping outside. It’s a crazy thing to do nowadays. You can’t do it anymore. Your dog should be inside.”
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She continued they encourage dog owners to keep their animals in the house to protect them from being poisoned by a thief wanting to enter a property. If a thief wants to come into a person’s house all they would have to do is poison the animals and they have a clear pathway to the house, however, if a dog is inside they are protected.
She further noted a dog’s hearing is so acute that it will hear if there’s somebody on your property and it will warn you from inside. She stressed all a thief would have to do is throw a piece of meat over the fence and the owner wakes up with his car or belongings gone, or worse, a gun to his head.
Bailey added that the poison is not only dangerous to animals but also to humans especially children, because it comes without any warning labels and children can also buy it. She stated especially in that particular area there are many suicide as well as murder cases with the use of the poison.
She mentioned at Claw they get about three dogs daily, that have been poisoned. She said the symptoms that could indicate a dog has been poisoned by Two-Step all depends on the size of the dog and how much of it the dog has ingested, but the common symptoms include shivering, vomiting, diarrhea, salivating and collapsing.
“Mostly, death is very quick, but not for all and it’s the most horrendous suffering. And no matter what people say, there are no home remedies. People should have the vet’s number or an after-hours number handy,” stressed Bailey.
The Roodepoort Record contacted the police regarding the laws surrounding the poison as well as the concern about it being freely available, however, no comment has been received.
Dr Pauline Smith from Claw concluded that an owner whose dog has been poisoned should first call the vet, then give the dog activated charcoal as it absorbs the initial poison and get it to the vet as soon as possible, not the next day, but immediately. She also noted not to give the animal milk as it makes things worse.
