‘A child could die if poisoning of pets persists’

A CHILD could die if a spate of sinister pet poisonings in a small rural area does not stop, a vet has warned.

Gardaí have appealed for the public’s help in catching the pet killer and have vowed to mount additional patrols to do so.

North Cork-based veterinary surgeon Sandra Spratt spoke out yesterday after saving the life of the latest victim — a three-month-old puppy — earlier this week.

“Over a dozen dogs have died from poisoning in this area in the last 18 months,” she said.

The animals, who lived in the Marshalstown area of Mitchelstown, all died an agonising, painful death, effectively drowning in their own blood. Some had survived previous poisoning attacks.

One person alone has lost seven dogs in the past year.

“This is not erratic. This is malicious,” said Ms Spratt. “It is a deliberate act of malice against pets. I have no doubt that someone is deliberately targeting these animals in their own homes.”

She said distraught pet owners have found meat laced with poison inside freezer bags, which had been thrown into their gardens and laced cheese in ditches near their homes.

A vet for more than a decade, Ms Spratt said she has never seen anything like it. “This is an epidemic. It is just so serious,” she said.

“These dogs are being targeted in their own homes. I just can’t understand it. These families have built runs and pens, put up fences and locked their dogs in. There is absolutely no reason for these animals to be targeted like this.”

But she said her biggest concern is that an innocent child could be next.

Addressing the person responsible, Ms Spratt said: “Just stop. I don’t understand why anyone would do this. Quite apart from the distress it is causing to families, to watch their pets dying in front of their eyes, there is the potential of harming a human.”

One person from the area, who has lost a dog, but who did not want to be named, said he is convinced that someone is deliberately targeting the animals.

“These dogs are not wandering loose and out harassing people or animals. They are pets at home,” he said.

A poisoned dog will vomit to clear the active ingredient from its system. Its life can be saved if medical attention is sought immediately.

A Garda spokesman said they were “treating the matter very seriously”.

The spokesman agreed that if the poison was picked up by a child it could have fatal consequences.

“We have been to home owners in the area warning them to keep a close eye on their pets. We are appealing to anybody with information to contact Mitchelstown Garda Station at 025 84833.”