Update on poison concerns for pets in local parks

We have been working today on a story about a dog that got very sick after running in Westcrest Off-Leash Area, and its vet and owner suspect rat poison may have been to blame. While we are continuing to work on those details for a longer article you will see here in a little while, we have just received what looks like a followup on the Fauntleroy Park poison concern we posted here two weeks ago. This was forwarded from the Partners for Animal Welfare newsletter, quoting another organization’s bulletin:

This notice just came in via Pasado Safe Haven’s e-mail newsletter the week of January 28th . In looking into this a little more on the web, unfortunately people may be trying to poison the many coyotes that have been spotted in the area, but your dog might very easily pick up the food or treats being left out. Please watch your dogs while at any park in West Seattle!

NEWS ALERT JUST PHONED IN:
Reported Poison in Fauntleroy Park, West Seattle

If you walk your dog in Fauntleroy Park, in West Seattle, please be warned; multiple dogs have ingested poison in the park! Apparently the poison is in dog food, bones, and other dog treats. These enticing treats have been found under bushes and throughout the park. Please be careful and let anyone you know who goes to Fauntleroy, know also. Thank you!

Just as we were reading that e-mail, we got a call back from the Parks Department employee we’d called about Westcrest, Carol Baker. She tells WSB the department is NOT aware of any NEW incident of suspected poison having been found in Fauntleroy Park since this report on Jan. 14. More later on that and also the Westcrest report (we have spoken with the owner of the dog in that incident, which is recovering, but in the short run, if you take your dog to that park, sounds like it would be a good idea to keep very close watch to keep it from ingesting anything).

grr February 1, 2008 (5:54 pm)

I swear..if I see anyone ‘leaving’ something under a bush/tree, I’ll chase them down myself and make THEM eat it. Time to make use of that nightvision scope I got a few years ago.

TLM February 1, 2008 (6:09 pm)

I just took my pup to Westcrest off-leash park today. Does anyone know the signs of poising?

DAE February 1, 2008 (6:26 pm)

Where is FAUNTLEROY PARK ?
sorry to sound like a newbie, but was born in WS many decades ago, and no idea where you mean.
Lincoln park? playfield on Fauntleroy?

WSB February 1, 2008 (6:30 pm)

DAE:
http://www.seattle.gov/parks/park_detail.asp?ID=453

Cammie February 1, 2008 (6:56 pm)

Hi there,

I am the mom of the dog, Mo, who I believe was poisoned at Westcrest (we do not go to Fauntleroy). I can tell you what signs to look for, though symptoms might not be present for several days after digesting the poison. Signs include lethargy, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody vomit or diarrhea. Mo’s symptoms came on so fast, within hours. He ate a normal dinner, slept in his bed while we watched a movie (which is not abnormal for him so I thought nothing of it), then at 10 pm he was literally found so weak he could not hold his head up and could barely let out a whimper.

Here is some more information on Rat Poisoning in dogs.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_rat_poison.html

hopey February 1, 2008 (6:58 pm)

The parks page doesn’t make it that easy to visualize where the park is, so let’s see if this works:

Map of Fauntleroy Park location

Melissa February 1, 2008 (7:32 pm)

We’d like to offer $100 for the arrest of anyone putting poison out for animals in Fauntleroy Park. We’re disgusted and angered that someone thinks that it’s acceptable and right to poison both the wild dogs and whatever other animals might happen upon it. In addition, it’s the rainy season, so the poison that doesn’t get consumed can, potentially, end up in the salmon stream that so many of our neighbors work hard to maintain.

Whether or not you think that all domestic dogs should be on leash, all dogs escape at one time or another. This person is putting all of those animals in danger as well as the natives and off-leash animals that he or she is intentionally targetting.

We encourage others to put up money with us. If there are a few of us who do so, we’ll put up notices around the park advertising this fact. That should scare off the person or people who did this.

Melissa and James
ps If anyone knows how someone goes about legally offering a reward, will you tell us? And, WSB, is it okay if others chime in here if they’d like to join us?

WSB February 1, 2008 (7:41 pm)

Certainly. We have just posted the promised longer story about the Westcrest dog, by the way. The Parks Department told us that even though they didn’t find any further evidence of poison at Fauntleroy, they were allowing the warning note to stay up. Regarding how you officially offer a reward – that’s a good question – if someone doesn’t chime in here with firsthand knowledge of that, we can research on Monday.

Michell February 1, 2008 (8:37 pm)

Thanks hopey!

Eileen February 1, 2008 (11:05 pm)

Both my dogs became very ill 1st of the this year. Bloody vomit and stool, all the same symptoms of Mo. They walk in the trails by Westcrest Park daily. After reading this I am sure this was the cause. Beware!!!

LisaM February 2, 2008 (1:00 pm)

I would like to contribute to the reward as well. If Pasado’s takes this on, then they will organize the reward and investigation efforts, I believe.
Thanks for keeping us up to date and I will be praying for Mo..and all our west seattle animals!
Lisa

Paula February 3, 2008 (5:30 pm)

Please be careful when diagnosing your pets symptoms. Other illnesses then rat poison can cause the above mentioned signs. What is most important is to get a stool sample to your vet if diarrhea continues for more then a day or so. If you dog is exhibiting signs of lethargy, lack of appetite, or other abnormal behavior, get him or her to your vet as soon as possible.
My dogs look very healthy and go to the dog parks twice a day if not more often. During a regular annual exam the assistant recommended a routine lab test that included a fecal, urinalysis, and blood work that looks at all aspects of my dogs health. My youngest one tested positive for coccida and we detected early stage kidney disease in my older dog. AGAIN both of these dogs, looked and acted perfectly normal. We treated the younger one with medication BEFORE we saw symptoms and prevented him from getting “sick” the older dog is going under some more diagnostic test to determine what we do next.
Not preaching here just sharing to try and help others…..

Westcrest Steward February 4, 2008 (12:01 am)

I’m sure many of you have seen the story of “possible dog poisoning at the park” on one of the many news channels. Cammie, Mo’s mom and I talked about the issue and both agreed it was a sensitive one, and to be careful with the media. We’re all glad that Mo’s recovering well, and glad to see him back at the park.
However, some of the media has reported responsibly, and others haven’t.
Some have pointed out that there’s no indication or evidence of any deliberate rat poisoning taking place at Westcrest, and others haven’t.
There have been dead rats found at the park, but no poison has been found.
Cammie and I both agreed that we didn’t want this issue to scare people away from Westcrest, but to be aware of your surroundings and to be vigilant in all aspects of the park and watch eachothers backs, and keep our dogs safe!
It’s a big area that is only patrolled by us, so we are vulnerable to something like this happening.
It’s a great little community we have and let’s keep it that way!
Steve McElhenney (Westcrest Steward)

WSB February 4, 2008 (12:22 am)

Thanks for the note, Steve. This is where everybody picked up on the story in the first place, since we broke it here Friday, and we were very careful in our original reporting (as with everything else we report, considering we have 25-plus years of journalism under our belt) – just a note that if you want to get the straight facts, you can trust us to get ’em out here first.

Steve February 4, 2008 (1:02 am)

I don’t think there’s an off-leash area at Fauntleroy Park. All dogs should be kept on a leash unless they’re in an official off-leash area. That way pet owners are not in violation of the leash law and they can keep an eye on their pets and make sure they don’t eat anything they’re not supposed to.

Kendra February 4, 2008 (8:18 am)

I saw a tv news van and reporter outside Fauntleroy Park this morning. Does anyone know if they were there about the poisonings?

Melissa February 4, 2008 (9:32 am)

Whether or not people choose to break the law and let their dogs off leash, inevitably dogs who really want to escape their enclosed yards and houses do occasionally. They should not be made to pay by some murderous s.o.b.. The whole “they shouldn’t be off leash in a non-off leash area” discussion is separate from the issue of someone trying to kill animals.

Steve K February 4, 2008 (11:22 am)

For this person’s sake I hope the police find him before we do. I would love to have him (or her) cornered on a lonely trail at Westcrest….

Jimv February 4, 2008 (12:02 pm)

My dog Loreto got violently ill the day after a walk in West Crest park on the 13th of January. On the 14th I picked him up from a doggie visit. He was shaking, weak, and vomited all night. I was up every couple of hours with him. He also had diahrea. He has never ever been close to this sick before. It was extremely abnormal and took him 48hrs to recover. Does anyone know of followup required other than vitamin K injections? I have a call into his vet but thought I would post here too.

Cammie February 4, 2008 (12:46 pm)

Jim, Mo is still on vitamin K in pill form, and will be for at least another week and a half or so. The vitamin K is necessary for blood to clot. Rat poison disrupts the vitamin K in the bloodstream, causing the victim to bleed internally. If your dog did not have any signs of bleeding, he probably does not need vitamin K. It is always best to consult your veterinarian. My hope is that if other dogs are sick, information on Mo’s case will help in giving other owners questions to ask their own vet, and facts that other local vets should know about.

Please read this article for more information.

Cammie February 4, 2008 (1:14 pm)

I am sorry if this shows up multiple times. I posted, but it didn’t appear, even after refreshing the page and closing the browser and re-opening.

Jim, Mo has been on Vitamin K tablets since his release from the hospital last Wednesday, and will be on them for at least another week and a half, possibly more. Vitamin K is necessary for blood to clot, and rat poison works by disrupting the vitamin K in the bloodstream. So, Mo will be on the vitamin K until the poison is out of his system. He will have a blood test 2 days after finishing the vitamin K tablets to check for abnormal levels. At that point, it will be determined if he will need to continue on the vatamin K. If your dog showed no signs of bleeding and has recovered at this point, vitamin K shouldn’t be necessary. Please read this article on rat poisoning in dogs for more information on symptoms and treatment.
Mo is also on an antibiotic just to be safe.

It is always the best idea to talk with your vet about concerns with your pets. I hope that by talking about Mo’s case, people will be able to have pertinent questions to ask their vet if their animal(s) become sick, and that local vets know that there has been a case of rat poisoning in area so it might help them in diagnosis/treatment of other critically sick dogs.

I will continue to post updates and answer questions others might have.

Amy February 4, 2008 (1:22 pm)

Could someone tell me the website for Partners for Animal Welfare (newsletter quoted in the post)? I’ve done a search and can’t find a local chapter… You don’t mean PAWS do you? Thanks!

Cammie February 4, 2008 (1:38 pm)

*okay, this is the 3rd try in posting this response. It has been over 30 minutes since I posted this the first time, and still it is not showing up, sorry if this suddenly appears 3 times*

I will continue to post updates and answer questions others might have.

WSB February 4, 2008 (3:09 pm)

Cammie, our apologies, because we are hit with so much comment spam, our moderation is set on “held unless a comment from that same IP address has been approved before.” You’ve had comments here before but apparently from different IP addresses. We usually moderate fairly frequently but we were out of the house for a couple hours at meetings.

Jimv February 5, 2008 (11:11 am)

Thanks, I got Loreto tested yesterday and his blood work came up negative, they gave him a shot of vitamin K as a precaution. He was bouncing off the walls yesterday evening. Although this is good news, I wouldn’t rule out someone experimenting with other toxins as well. I will be more vigilant about my dog attempting to consume things at the parks. I’m glad your dog is recovering.