Dubai An alleged spurt in dog poisoning cases in the upscale Emirates Living has raised serious concerns among pet owners in the area.
“It’s been recently brought to our attention that a number of dogs, including one of our members, have lost their lives due to some form of poisoning. The number of cases appears to have increased during the last couple of months. At this stage, we’re not sure where and how the dogs have ingested the poison so we are urging extreme caution to all dog owners in Dubai when taking them out for walks. The best advice is to supervise your dog at all times when out and about to ensure they don’t pick up anything sinister,” said Laura Marr, Founder of the Dubai Pug Club.
Residents claimed that a pet owner in The Springs recently lost of one her two dogs to suspected poisoning after battling it out for three weeks. The second dog which was also allegedly poisoned managed to survive.
A resident of Meadows 6 who lost her Labrador/German Shepherd Cross earlier said her dog’s vital organs stopped functioning after he ingested some form of poison but it took 12 weeks before the end came.
Not sure
She said they were not sure what the poison was. “We had his organs sent to South Africa for an analysis but they could only confirm that toxic poison had attacked them.”
The source of the alleged poison remains a mystery. “A couple of years ago, we found five meat steaks in a bush along a walking path in The Greens. The steaks were apparently poisoned and were meant for stray cats,” a resident from the area alleged, adding that she always kept her dogs on a tight leash when she walked them.
A spokesperson for Emaar Properties said: “We are committed to the safety and security of our residents and they are urged to report any such incidents and also undertake pest control operations as per guidelines in their residences. All pest control operations in Emaar’s communities are conducted as per the guidelines of the concerned authorities with appropriate supervision. The rat traps are kept in secluded areas where rodent activities are likely to occur, and these are regularly checked too.”
Dr Savita Basheer, vet at the Lucky Veterinary Clinic in Al Barsha, said there are many precautions that pet owners can take to prevent poisoning. “Pets should not be allowed near garbage, plants like chrysanthemum, paints, acids and alkalis. They should also not be fed with chocolates because all of this can lead to poisoning.”
Lesley Muncey of Feline Friends said: “We must exercise caution as we could be risking not just the lives of our pets but also our children.”
Pedra Mueller, President of the Middle East Cat Society, said: “We cannot comment on the dog poisoning cases. What we do know is that companies rope in the contracted services of pest control companies to deal with rats and stray cats.”
Prevention is the Key
To check poisoning, keep pets them away from:
- Garbage
- Plants like chrysanthemum
- Chocolates
- Paints
- Acids & alkalis
Source: Lucky Veterinary Clinic
