Transcona seeing spike in suspected poisonings, says dog owner

A Winnipeg woman says her neighbourhood is seeing a rise in suspected dog poisonings and her two dogs barely lived to tell the tale.

Karen, who asked that her first name only be used for fear of reprisal, said her dogs were likely poisoned last week in her Canterbury Park backyard in Transcona.

She was sitting on the top floor of her multi-level deck at about 3 p.m. on Aug. 20 and her dogs were below in the yard when it happened.

"I saw an arm throw something into the yard. I looked and this boy walked into view. He pulled his arm back, and I yelled 'No!'

"He looked me right in the eye. He didn't have any expression … no emotion on his face."

The boy then threw a second object into her yard, she said. "I never was able to find it," Karen said, adding she believes both her dogs ate whatever was thrown.

Karen said she jumped up, called the dogs and made her way down to the yard. By the time she caught up to the dogs and managed to "wrangle them in" to her home, the boy was gone. She describes him as a teenager, slender, wearing jeans, sneakers and a light coloured T-shirt with light brown or dark blond hair. 

Over the next 24 hours, her dogs, Honey and Ted, got very sick.

"When I woke up Monday morning, the littlest one [Honey] had thrown up," she said, adding Honey also wouldn't eat breakfast. When Karen managed to get Honey to eat a small piece of ground beef, "she threw up and threw up and threw up."

Karen said she took Honey to Plessis Veterinary Hospital Monday. The next day her larger dog, Ted, joined Honey there with the same symptoms. Both dogs had to stay in observation for days with IVs to make sure they were hydrated, and Honey went into anaphylaxis, but managed to make it through.

Karen was appalled when she was told by the vet both were likely poisoned, but added they were unsure what type was used. "There are so many possible poisons that have specific tests, it would have driven us to bankruptcy to figure out what it was."

In the end, the vet bill was nearly $2,000. The dogs are slowly recovering, said Karen.

While a veterinarian from Plessis Veterinary Hospital did not return phone calls from CBC, a receptionist did confirm the practice has seen more than the usual number of suspected poisoning cases this summer.

Karen said she is worried someone is deliberately targeting dogs in her neighbourhood. When she posted about the poisonings on social media, she was overwhelmed by people messaging her saying the same thing had happened to them in recent years, many of them this summer. She also sent out a flyer to all the houses on her street warning people of the incident.

CBC mapped 14 incidents in Transcona where residents said they suspected their pooch may have been poisoned. Eleven of those happened in 2017. So far, none from this year have died, and in two instances, the poison was found before the dogs ingested it.

Winnipeg police confirmed Karen reported the incident but said they have not received any other complaints in the area this year. 

"I wouldn't say that animal poisonings are a common problem, but we have seen reports of it in the past," said Const. Jay Murray.

"There isn't an easy way to prevent this crime, aside from the obvious tips to monitor an animal while it is outdoors and perhaps ensure that a high fence is in place where the animal is out of sight from passerbys. Outdoor security cameras are also a great deterrent and investigative aid," he wrote.

Murray encouraged people to report possible poisonings to police. Doing so may allow police to find a pattern to the poisonings and send out a public notice if needed, Murray said.

Police are still investigating the incident, he said. 

What do you do if you think your pet has been poisoned?

Do not give your pet any home remedies, according to the PetPoison Hotline. Instead, follow these instructions:

• Remove your pet from the area.
• Check to make sure your pet is safe: breathing and acting normally.
• Do NOT give any home antidotes.
• Do NOT induce vomiting without consulting a vet or Pet Poison Helpline.
• Call Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680.
• If veterinary attention is necessary, contact your veterinarian or emergency veterinary clinic immediately.