Poisoning of Dogs – A horrendous act

As I write this article, I am on an aeroplane travelling from Fort Lauderdale to Las Vegas to attend an Animal Care Expo. In the last few months in St Vincent and the Grenadines, I was appalled at the large numbers of cases of poisonings that I saw at my clinic.{{more}}

It started with two dogs from Canouan that were brought into the Clinic exhibiting acute signs of Gramoxone poisoning. The owner of these dogs subsequently wrote an article in one of the newspapers condemning this despicable act.

You see, when a dog is poisoned by gramoxone, the very caustic chemical, scorches the tongue, gums and mouth; then, as it is swallowed, does the same to the oesophagus, stomach and intestines. From there, the poison is absorbed into the blood stream and damages vital organs like the lungs, liver, kidneys etc.

Observing a dog poisoned with this chemical is one of the most heart-rending things one can ever behold.

On examination of the mouth, the tongue and gums are observed to be scorched and raw in most cases. This brings to mind a case I saw a few years ago, where a dog was poisoned with Gramoxone; he vomited a few times on a lush green lawn, and within a day or two, the grass that came into contact with the vomitus was decimated.

Soon after ingesting the poison, the patient emits a characteristic moaning sound with every breath exhaled. The animal refuses to eat and drink in most cases, and soon becomes very dehydrated. The patient may find it difficult to breathe, and holds its head and neck forward and upward, standing with its two forelegs in a characteristic open position, in an effort to compensate for the damaged lung tissue.

The animal suffers an excruciatingly painful death after two to seven days.

Now, back to the two dogs from Canouan, Jimmy and Rosie. Jimmy was brought into the clinic first. He was such a wonderful patient with a tremendous love for life. Even though he was consumed with excruciating pain, he was always pleasant and fighting to stay alive. His eyes, dull with the pain, would always light up when he was spoken to, or when he was being petted. There were nights when I stayed with him until the wee hours of the morning administering very potent pain killers to mitigate some of the pain, just to provide the companionship he so urgently desired.

After about 3 weeks of a life and death battle, in the process, befriending my entire staff and Kiersten, the President of the VSPCA, Jimmy eventually succumbed one afternoon after a gallant struggle.

The second case was Rosie. She spent about the same time hospitalized with us as Jimmy did. Rosie also has a great love for life, and was very friendly and trusting. She, I am happy to say, is a success story; she survived after about three weeks in critical condition at our facilities.

The owner was so distraught that such atrocious acts were being committed in Canouan, that she took Rosie with her to France. What a happy ending for Rosie.

Soon after that, I had five cases of Gramoxone poisonings in dogs from one family in Bequia. All five of them died. The owner was devastated.

The same week I had another five cases of Gramoxone poisonings from the Enhams area. We managed to save four and lost one.

Another horrendous method used by these heartless culprits to poison your dogs is the use of Furidan. This is a very deadly form of poisoning, characterized by vomiting, frothing and heavy salivation from the mouth. The dog falls to the ground due to severe muscular tremors and contractions. Death occurs in a short period of time if the animal is not seen promptly by a veterinarian. This form of poisoning is reversible if treated in time.

Sometimes I wonder if people who commit these horrendous acts are able to sleep at nights. Maybe they are able to, but would you trust them to be among you? Would you want to have someone like that having access to your kids?

For further information, contact: Dr. Collin Boyle
Unique Animal Care Co. Ltd. Tel: 456 4981
Website:www.uniqueanimalcare.com