A family is coming to terms with the horrific death of two of their family pets who were poisoned during an attempted house robbery on their property on 26 June.
The two dogs, Tiger and Alex, died a painful death after being rushed to the vet along with Cody, their third dog that survived the poisoning.
The pets were found in a terrible condition in their home. The dogs’ owner Jonathan Stewart said one of the dogs died on the way to the vet while the other died while being treated at an animal hospital.
Stewart added that an autopsy revealed that Two Step, a pest control chemical used by farmers, was used to poison the dogs. Stewart was relieved that at least one of his dogs had survived the incident.
“Cody is getting better. She’s in a stable condition and we are happy that we will be welcoming her back home soon.
“The family, especially the children, are still heartsore because they’ve known the dogs since they were puppies. But at least they understand now that the dogs are no longer suffering,” Stewart explained.
He also criticised the fact that it is so easy to get hold of this product, saying that the product is also sold on the streets. Stewart also praised the police for taking the investigation seriously.
Following a spate of dog poisonings in recent months, a veterinary hospital animal specialist, Franus Kritzinger, advised pet owners to begin training their puppies to eat from a specific bowl or to only accept food from a certain member of the family to prevent animal poisoning.
Although the practice is not guaranteed, Kritzinger said a constantly trained dog would adhere to the rules.
In order to improve awareness Kritzinger confirmed that the most common poison used during robberies is called Temik, commonly known as Two Step, a poisonous granule product used by agricultural farmers to control pests. He explained that a poisoned dog acts like a person having a seizure, and the dog lies on its stomach and salivates.
The product is dubbed Two Step because it is believed that once ingested, the victim, whether it be a person or animal only takes two steps before dying.
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