Pet owners are being cautioned after a dog fell ill from ingesting poison-laced food at a well-frequented park in Sydney’s Inner West.
Steve Badgery’s eight-year-old English cocker spaniel, William, consumed a suspicious sausage discarded at Weekley Park in Stanmore.
The sausage contained a green substance, suspected to be either rat or snail poison.
“He’s very food-driven, loves to eat,” Badgery shared with 9News.
“I couldn’t manage to get it out of his mouth,” he added.
Badgery promptly took William and a sample of the tainted sausage to the Sydney University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, where the staff successfully removed most of the poison from the dog’s system.
Vets believe he ate up to six pellets of rat bait, which could have led to his death.
”These substances are highly toxic and can be life-threatening for dogs,” Sydney University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital said in a statement.
Nearby residents took it upon themselves to conduct a search of the park for any more laced-sausages and found four more.
NSW Police, the Inner West Council and RSPCA have been notified.
Sydney University Veterinary Teaching Hospital is urging pet owners whose dogs have visited the park and eaten anything suspicious to contact their local vet immediately.
Parkgoers are advised to stay vigilant, keep their pet on a leash and prevent them from eating anything off the ground.
