Two Step. Aldicarb. Temik. Whatever you call it, every pet owner dreads finding it tossed over their garden wall, wrapped in a piece of ham or polony.
On November 1, these fears were sadly realised for the owners of the dogs that were purposefully poisoned in Blancheville and Highveld Park.
Residents are urged to check their gardens for plastic bags or meat which could potentially be used to attempt to poison their pets.
“There were between six and eight dogs poisoned in Highveld Park,” Maureen Scheepers of the South African Community Crime Watch (SACCW) Witbank said, “a joint effort between the SACCW and Witbank SAPS was launched immediately upon us becoming aware of the rise in incidents. Along with Witbank SAPS, we tried to apprehend the suspects by conducting ‘stop-and-searches.’ We searched suspicious individuals in the area and found food on them, but unfortunately didn’t find any poison.”
“We are obviously disappointed that we couldn’t arrest any individuals in relation to these terrible crimes, but it does seem that the quick reaction from SACCW Witbank and Witbank SAPS scared off the suspects as there have been no further poisonings reported in these areas since November 1,” said Scheepers.
Despite the fact that it seems that law enforcement’s crack-down on dog poisoning has curbed the rise of incidents, residents in all areas of eMalahleni are urged to remain vigilant.
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Most incidents of dog poisoning involve the use of Two Step, a tasteless, odourless black powder. It is placed in food by would-be robbers who then toss the laced food over walls and fences. It can take a few days for the poisoned dogs to die, though the poison’s full effect may also be unleashed within twenty minutes from ingestion, resulting in a sudden death.
The symptoms of Two Step ingestion in dogs include foaming from the mouth, vomiting, diarrhoea, severe abdominal pain, muscle twitching, muscle spasms, severe weakness, difficulty breathing, change in behaviour, constricted or dilated pupils, collapse and coma.
If you suspect that your dog may have been poisoned, it is absolutely crucial to get it to the veterinarian as soon as possible. The chance of a dog surviving Two Step poisoning without veterinarian intervention is improbable, if not impossible.
If you believe your dog may have been poisoned, bring your pets and children inside until you have determined if there is still poison outside, wear gloves and wrap your dog in a towel to avoid contact with secretions which are toxic even on contact, search your property for other contaminated food, clean up any body secretions (such as vomit and diarrhoea) in the environment using slaked lime and large amounts of water (whilst wearing gloves and taking care not to have contact with these secretions), contact your security company and neighbourhood watch because dog poisoning is often a sign that criminals are planning to rob your home and lastly contact the police to lay a charge.
Two Step looks like peppercorns, but could kill a full grown dog within an incredibly short time.
It is incredibly hard to save a pet who has consumed a large enough quantity of Two Step, and thus the best cure in the case of dog poisoning is prevention. If at all possible, allow your dogs to sleep inside of the house where criminals cannot access them.
Individuals are also kindly urged not to poison rats and mice using Two Step; as these rodents are often eaten by cats and owls after succumbing to the poison which they had consumed, leading to the cat or owl also being poisoned by the Two Step inside of the rodent and dying.
Witbank SPCA is currently selling “poison packs” for R30 each, or R50 for two.
These packs contain everything a person might need to stabilise their poisoned pet on the way to the veterinarian.
These packs will not save your pet’s life if he or she has ingested poison, but it will buy you some time to get him or her to the veterinarian.
