Poisoned Dog from Peckham Rye Park

[Penguin68]

I think it's quite clear what most of the discussion here is about. A dog has died, suddenly and quite horribly, very possibly (but not certainly) after exposure to something toxic in Peckham Rye. This may have been misplaced rat poison (in which case the council needs to investigate pronto) or - possibly - a toxic fungus - in which case such investigation is also important. It is also possible (but not probable) that the death was caused by an infection - only a proper set of lab tests can determine what actually caused the death, and therefore what follow-up/ remedies need to be applied to avoid any occurrence.

I think we can all agree that actions to avoid another dog suffering in this way would be good, but until the actual cause can be established it is difficult to know what these actions would optimally be (nor what other dog owners should be looking out for). Posters have simply been suggesting that jumping to any conclusion - however 'probable' that might be without evidence - may mean that something important is being missed.

I would certainly say that keeping dogs close to you, and intervening if they seem to want to be eating something in the park would be a good idea. But what exactly to watch out for is at the moment moot.

I would not wish the horror and tragedy that has hit the first owner should be visited on another.

[Mystic Mog]

Well said Penquin, let's keep it real. I knew this dog, he was adorable.

[taper]

I posted something on here back in August about my dog in relation to Peckham Rye park. She collapsed, had a very bad seizure and very nearly died. Thankfully various brilliant vets got her back on her feet. Their view was she had ingested some sort of toxin, Although they were unable to say what.

I've thought long and hard about where she might have been poisoned. About one hour prior to her collapse she had been drinking the water from the stream under the small bridge in Peckham Rye, near where this incident took place. she was sniffing around the fallen tree too, looking for dropped food. I can't be certain that's where she ingested whatever it was that poisoned her. But this incident has made me think again. Fungi and mold can certainly poison dogs. It's called Mycotoxicosis.

I think the parks people should have a look at this.

[first mate]

My sincere condolences to the owners of this dog.

As a rule it is unwise to let dogs drink from streams, ponds or puddles. I'd even go so far as saying don't let your dog splash around in park water, they can still ingest water while playing or afterwards when they lick their fur. Still water in particular carries a range of potentially dangerous micro-organisms.

[Mystic Mog]

taper Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I posted something on here back in August about my

> dog in relation to Peckham Rye park. She

> collapsed, had a very bad seizure and very nearly

> died. Thankfully various brilliant vets got her

> back on her feet. Their view was she had ingested

> some sort of toxin, Although they were unable to

> say what.

>

> I've thought long and hard about where she might

> have been poisoned. About one hour prior to her

> collapse she had been drinking the water from the

> stream under the small bridge in Peckham Rye, near

> where this incident took place. she was sniffing

> around the fallen tree too, looking for dropped

> food. I can't be certain that's where she ingested

> whatever it was that poisoned her. But this

> incident has made me think again. Fungi and mold

> can certainly poison dogs. It's called

> Mycotoxicosis.

>

> I think the parks people should have a look at

> this.

Thanks for that, I remember your original post and wondered what the outcome was. I am so glad he/she survived.☺

[taper]

Thanks. She was very ill. And it cost me (or rather Petplan) ?5k to get here right.

The water she drank from was the fast flowing stream under the bridge and not still water. Wouldn't necessarily have been that that poisoned her.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi B777,

I'm really, really sorry to hear about the death of your friend's dog. If/when your friend is able to )and if they have additional information from the vet please could they pm me (or you on their behalf). If it was rat poison than the police and park staff need to know and if it was some natural poison eg from a fungus than the parks staff need to know (to have it removed from the fallen tree or cordon it off to prevent this happening again to another dog). I am glad to hear, Taper that your dog has recovered from what may have been a similar incident.

Renata

[taper]

Thanks. The two incidents could be linked. Worth checking out. My vet wasn't able to say what the toxin was unfortunately.

[Mystic Mog]

taper Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks. She was very ill. And it cost me (or

> rather Petplan) ?5k to get here right.

>

> The water she drank from was the fast flowing

> stream under the bridge and not still water.

> Wouldn't necessarily have been that that poisoned

> her.

As a matter of interest which vet did you use?

[taper]

We used four different practices. Emergency vet in Beckenham (Foxgrove), then our vet (Neighbourhood), then Elizabeth Street in Victoria (they have overnight vet care) and then to a specialist unit in Hitchen!

[Mystic Mog]

Thanks, fantastic care.☺

[wonderwoman]

Gosh sorry to hear this, concern also for other dogs, wildlife and humans including kids who could potentially be exposed to this. I would have thought any poison put down by park authorities targetting vermin would have been properly signposted or cordoned off.

[Lollipop]

I am also concerned that the suspected site of the poisoning is so close to the children's playground. Does anyone know whether the park staff will be investigating?

I say this as a parent of a 23-year old who used to play there frequently. And the owner of two dogs who walk near there every day.

[B777]

I will send more info to the councillor for her to investigate. Many thanks

[Huggers]

I often sit on that fallen tree so my elderly dog can have a rest.

[Sue]

So sorry to hear about the dog, and glad the first one has recovered.

It is the season for fungi at the moment, isn't it?

This may be a stupid question, but has anybody actually looked at the tree to see if there are signs of rat poison or fungi around it in a place which could be accessible to dogs?

Also, given that at least two dogs have sadly been poisoned in the same general area, it would seem sensible for lab tests to be carried out to clearly identify the poison, or other cause as suggested by Saffron, if possible.

That would be a first step towards eliminating the cause and preventing any more dogs (and owners) suffering in this way.

It could also flag up whether there is a possibility that poison was deliberately placed, and if so what action the police might take.

[DulwichFox]

Hi Sue

Not a stupid question. A real probablity..

Mushroom poisoning occurs as a result of ingesting toxic mushrooms, which is a common hazard for dogs because of the amount of time they spend outdoors or in wooded areas, particularly in the summer and fall.

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_dg_mushroom_poisoning

Foxy

[Huggers]

dogs also enjoying gnawing at bark to clean their teeth which could be how fungi would be ingested.

[Saffron]

In addition to ingestion toxicity, fungal infections can also occur. These are similar to bacterial infections, and the pathogenic agents are microscopic. These infections are often tricky to diagnose and treat.

It's normally very difficult to retrospectively identify toxins or infections unless sample material remains available. It might be more useful to get a survey of how many dogs (or cats) locally exhibit trace amounts of rodentacide. This could be done by teaming up with a local vet(s) to apply for some grant funding. It would be a really good topic for anyone doing a PhD in toxicology or for a veterinary student.

[Penguin68]

But in the meantime...two dogs have fallen seriously ill, one fatally, (anecdotally) closely following incidents in Peckham Rye where the dogs were assumed to have ingested something. A reasonable prima facie assumption is that the dogs were effected by something in the park - whether that was a rodenticide or something else (fungus?) toxic is unclear. At the least the area where the most recent incident possibly occurred should be examined, presumably by park gardening staff who may be able to identify possible culprits (misplaced rat poison or toxic mushrooms) should they be present as a matter of urgency. If nothing is found that doesn't necessarily rule out the incident(s) being park related, but at least it has been checked.

[B777]

The purpose of my original post was to highlight to dog owners and users of PRP of a potential problem with poison in the park. Successfully done as over 2800 views.

It was not to start a discussion for pedants arguing about the poison. It was unlikely to be rat poison the parks put down as they are aiming to poison an animal weighing 300g not an animal weighing 40 times that. The dog had never eaten mushrooms before or bark from trees......I think it safe to assume it didn't start that day.

[rendelharris]

B777 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The purpose of my original post was to highlight

> to dog owners and users of PRP of a potential

> problem with poison in the park. Successfully done

> as over 2800 views.

> It was not to start a discussion for pedants

> arguing about the poison. It was unlikely to be

> rat poison the parks put down as they are aiming

> to poison an animal weighing 300g not an animal

> weighing 40 times that. The dog had never eaten

> mushrooms before or bark from trees......I think

> it safe to assume it didn't start that day.

And well done for doing so, but I don't think it's that objectionable for people to discuss what the cause might be - I've actually learned a couple of useful bits of information from this thread which I've passed on to my dog owning mother - it's a discussion board!

[B777]

Fair enough! I will retreat from the conversation. Enjoy!

[dimples]

I was informed today from the park warden the dog who took ill was by the mulberry tree not the children's playground and also that of late they haven't been using any poison for rats in the park so must have been caused by either fungi or even could have been something digested before coming into the park ?!

[taper]

Or something been dumped there carelessly or on purpose. Or perhaps flowed down the stream from upstream.

Do you remember the start to this very odd thread?

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,1546811,1709334#msg-1709334

I'd like to know whether it was a wind up or based on something.

Where's the mulberry bush?