SPCA warns of increase in dog poisonings
There are measures pet owners can take to protect their furry family members.
Heartless criminals are targeting man’s best friend. According to the Brakpan SPCA, the last few months have seen a rise in dog poisoning cases, particularly in areas such as the CBD, Brakpan North, Dalpark Exts 1, 6 and 9, Minnebron and Dalview.
“The animals of our town are the victims of many attempted and successful house robberies, leaving families not only robbed of their possessions but also of their furry loved ones,” said Brakpan SPCA manager Tamaryn Lombard.
“What’s even worse is that many dogs are losing their lives to this horrendous act because they bark too much and the perpetrator wants to rob the neighbours.
“We must practice absolute caution not only for ourselves but also for our pets.”
Brakpan police confirmed an increase in cases but were unable to provide statistics as, according to them, residents are not reporting the incidents to SAPS.
Poisonings are generally only reported when a crime has been committed on the property such as robbery, burglary or theft.
It is, however, common for criminals to poison the animals first and return at a later stage to complete the job.
They often also poison dogs at neighbouring properties.
This is why reporting incidents to police is important as SAPS can increase patrols in the area.
Police reminded community members that poisonings are a crime and residents are encouraged to report these incidents even when no other crime has been committed.
Residents are also urged to immediately report suspicious-looking people, vehicles or activities to SAPS.
To prevent poisonings, the SPCA offered pet owners the following advise:
• Dogs should not be used for security
“We often think that a massive boerboel or a German shepherd will definitely keep a cunning thief away from our property, however this is not true,” said Lombard.
“Instead, these poor animals are the targeted types for poisonings. Although a dog will most definitely protect you without thinking twice, they should be a part of your family and not used as a security add-on to your property.”
• Let your animals sleep indoors
Lombard stated dogs should not sleep outside.
“They would be safer as well as keep you safer if they get to share their sleeping space with you and your family. Having said this, before letting them out in the morning, have a quick check of your yard for anything that could be carrying that terrible poison that claims so many lives,” she said.
• Be prepared
Make sure you have emergency pet poison packs on hand – never think it won’t happen to you. These packs are available from the SPCA.
Have all the veterinarians’ emergency contact details ready.
• Don’t keep your animals in the front yard
Although poisonings can happen at any time and at any place, most times it occurs in the front yard.
Keep your pets out of view from the street which will ensure a level of safety for your pet.
• Secondary poisonings
If a dog is poisoned, it will start to vomit up whatever it has consumed.
A lot of the time all the attention is on the dog that has been poisoned and other pets sometimes eat the vomit and this causes secondary poisoning.
Lombard advised owners to clean up any animal fluids that may cause cause further harm.
“Always remember to try and ensure your animal’s best chance of survival. Most cases of poisonings happen in the middle of the night. Ensuring you have a contingency plan in place offers the best chance of survival for your pet,” she said.
“Ensuring and making their safety a priority is their best chance to avoid a very painful death.”
While the Brakpan SPCA may be contacted in cases of emergency, the local society, like many other SPCAs, does not have a clinic or veterinarian on site.
Any animal that requires treatment must be taken to a veterinary clinic or hospital.
The Brakpan SPCA may be contacted for emergencies on 083 696 9052.
Local vets to contact are:
• Dalvet Animal Clinic: 011 740 5441
The clinic offers after-hour emergency care. If the veterinarian is unavailable, there is an emergency number on the clinic’s answering machine.
The clinic explained the different types of poisonings:
Aldicarb, commonly known as two-step, causes salivation, vomiting, muscle tremors, accumulation of fluids in lungs and thereafter death.
It is important to get the pet veterinary help as soon as possible to reverse the effects with atropine which is only available as an injection as it is inactivated by stomach secretions.
A lot of people give milk to ‘neutralise’ the poison. This hastens the absorption of the poison into the blood stream from the gut.
It is not advisable to give anything per mouth if the dog is already salivating/vomiting as this can cause anything per mouth to go into the lungs causing a dangerous pneumonia.
If the pet can swallow, activated charcoal tablets can be given, but do not waste time trying to force these down the pet’s throat. Rather use that time to get the dog veterinary help.
Rat poisons are mostly warfarin/coumarin type compounds that cause internal bleeding.
They take several days to take effect. If possible, give the pet a dilute salty solution to try and get it to vomit the poison back up. This is only effective within about half an hour of ingestion.
Sometimes it is not evident that the animal has ingested poison. Signs to look out for are bleeding from the gums or little purplish speckling of the skin, especially over the abdomen.
Some of the newer generation rat poisons do not exhibit haemorrhage easily. Often there is internal bleeding into the chest cavity and difficulty in breathing or laboured breathing may be all that is evident.
Vit K is the antidote for these poisonings and is always suggested in suspected rodent poisonings.
Acids and alkalis burn the throat and can make swallowing difficult or impossible for the pet. Milk may help to reduce the burn in this case, but veterinary evaluation is important to identify the level of damage caused.
Antifreeze or ethylene glycol is sweet tasting and causes major problems including liver, heart, and kidney failure.
Immediate help should be sought as irreversible symptoms occur within half an hour.
• Sherwood Gardens Veterinary Clinic: 011 744 4668
Due to a veterinary staff shortage and excessive workloads, the clinic does not offer after-hour emergency services anymore.
In case of poisoning, the clinic suggested to Google ’24-hour veterinary clinics near me’.
The clinic provided the following tips:
If the animal consumed the poison recently, around 10 minutes prior, feed them auto washing powder or hydrogen peroxide 3%, to force the animal to vomit the poison out. Seek veterinary attention as soon as possible after this step is completed.
Caustic (acid) agents should not be vomited up (cement, drain cleaner, etc.)
Never use milk, eggs, salt or any other products other than auto washing powder or hydrogen peroxide for it may cause a faster absorption of the poison.
If your pet consumed poison a few hours ago, feed them activated charcoal and seek veterinary attention immediately.
If possible, bring along a sample of the poison to your veterinarian. This will allow the doctors to identify the type of poison.
It is important to remember that some poisons like two-step may cause aggression in some pets, so exercise caution.
Poisoned animals tend to get overheated and will be best to keep your pet at a comfortable temperature by placing them in an adequately ventilated area and in some cases placing a wet towel over the body.
The clinic advised pet owners to phone the Poison Information Centre on 086 155 5777 for more information.
It also suggested that every pet owner saves an emergency contact number on their cellphone for their nearest 24-hour veterinarian.
• St Francis Animal Clinic: 011 915 5613
The clinic does not offer 24-hour service but is available for emergencies during the day outside of its morning and afternoon consulting hours.
It also stressed the importance of seeking veterinary treatment for poisoned animals as soon as possible so that an antidote may be administered intravenously.
Secondary poisonings were also a concern raised by this clinic and pet owners were advised to keep other pets separated from vomit/fluids.
A simple life-saving tip shared by this clinic is for dog owners to investigate why their dogs are barking.
• The Alberton Veterinary Clinic offers 24-hour service and may be contacted on 011 869 7258.
Poison packs distributed
In an effort to help save animal’s lives, Sunny’s Pet Outreach Team (SPOT), an animal welfare organisation involved in rescue and outreach in the Brakpan area, donated poison packs, valued at around R200 each, to patrollers from the Brakpan CPF, local neighbourhood watch groups and security firms.
The handover took place last Friday in Dalview. The packs contain ingredients and accessories needed to help slow down the effects of the poison.
“This is so there is at least one poison pack per area in Brakpan and normally these are the guys that get to a scene first and can assist the animals until such time that the owners can get it to a vet,” said Sanette Bosman from SPOT.
Bosman explained to the patrollers how and when to use the pack and was also on hand to answer any questions.
“It’s a donation we are doing to try and help with the poisonings,” she said.
Bosman added that SPOT will also be donating packs to pet owners in the Mgongo informal settlement (Location Road), where most of their outreach work is conducted.
