Dubai: The Green Community in Dubai has once again been hit by cases of pet poisoning. At least half a dozen dogs have taken ill with one of them dying in the last two months.
In 2012, over 10 cases of pet poisoning were reported in the area at about the same time. A dog and two cats had died then, following which residents were asked to exercise caution.
Confirming the cases, Dr Soheyl Simaei, Veterinary Surgeon at the Noble Veterinary Centre in the Green Community, told XPRESS: “We’ve had similar cases of poisoning like last year. Six dogs that came to us this year had the same diagnosis. They were all anaemic and had the same symptoms — internal bleeding, diarrhoea, vomiting and blood in the stools. We lost one Labrador pup from South Africa to poisoning. All these pets were vaccinated and in very good health earlier.”
He said residents were blaming use of rat poisons and pesticide by pest control companies, but it could not be ascertained what exactly caused the poisoning.
Affected dogs have tested negative for the Parvo-virus whose symptoms include loose stools and weakness.
“We don’t know what caused the poisoning in these cases,” said Dr Simaei, adding that dog poisoning could result from a variety of sources.
In most cases, the symptoms showed up hours after the dogs had been out for a walk.
A dog owner in the Greens of Emirates Living also said her dog suffered acute poisoning after a walk in the community.
“Two weeks ago, I took my eight-year-old dog for a walk on the grass as usual. He took very ill the next morning and suffered multiple seizures and acute muscle weakness. Thankfully, he has recovered, but he is still not 100 per cent OK,” said Hayley.
“I cannot say what caused the poisoning as I did not see him eat anything. He was only licking his paws,” she added.
Another owner of an apartment in The Views said residents should be notified about any pest control that is carried out in the community well in advance as pesticides could be a possible source of poisoning.
An Emaar spokesperson said: “All pest control measures in our communities are undertaken in line with the regulations and specifications by the concerned authorities. Emaar is committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and well-being of our residents.”
However, no immediate response was available from the Green Community.
