HOWICK pet owners are living in fear following the poisoning of some 18 dogs and cats in the last week. Midlands and Howick veterinary clinics and the SPCA do not know the exact poison, but have speculated it could have been either Temik or the rat poison Finale.
In 2003, the pesticide super-toxin Temik, or “Two-step” as illegal buyers know it, was used to kill 97 pets in Gauteng.
One teaspoon is enough to kill a rhino — a mere milligram can kill a rodent weighing less than a kilogram, making Temik more poisonous than arsenic.
The first victim in Howick was Puppy, a young daschund belonging to Craig and Carol Miller in the upper Howick residential area, which died almost instantly on June 3.
The next day in the late afternoon, the Millers rushed TJ, their young bull terrier, into the Midlands Veterinary Clinic. He was suffering from convulsions and seemed to be in tremendous pain. All resuscitation procedures failed and TJ died at 11 pm that evening.
The Millers said they believe this was a deliberate poisoning as the dogs are not easily accessible from the road and were poisoned on different days. The Millers are offering a reward for any information about the deaths.
Also on June 3, Lynn Dicks, a resident of the Heritage Place complex, fed her pugs Amelia and Abigail, which had been kept inside the house during the day. At 8 pm, Abigail “started running around frantically as if being chased by the devil itself”, had convulsions and keeled over, 15 minutes later. The next morning, a part-Persian cat was found dead on a nearby doorstep.
Soon after that, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife employee Sharon Price, also of Heritage Place, was notified that her 18-month old part-Persian cat, Chino, had been found dead, with fully dilated pupils.
Later that week, on Thursday, Tequila, belonging to Shirley Edwards, died an agonising death and the next morning an unknown, dead black and white cat was taken to the Howick Veterinary Clinic.
One local pet owner, Brian Warner, said pet owners are panicking. “At first we thought it was burglars eliminating dogs, which is usually the first indicator warning us of any intruders, but to date there have been no burglaries. It may be a vendetta against pet owners or be pet haters,” he added.
One commonly used method of silencing watchdogs is to throw them a piece of doctored meat.
On Saturday, a German Shepherd was spotted by neighbours convulsing in a garden.
Its owner was out at the time, but when they returned they spotted a partially-eaten chicken carcass in the garden. They speculated that this was the method of delivery for the poison.
The Witness has also been told of several other apparently deliberate poisonings of pets, including the suspected poisoning of a cat in the Amberglen complex.
Although one Howick SPCA official declined to comment, SPCA senior inspector Daniel Stewart said he was “flabbergasted” to hear about the poisonings.
“It is absolutely horrific, this intentional cruelty,” he said, warning that if caught, the culprit would face up to a R20 000 fine and a year in jail per dead animal, and could be charged for malicious damage to property. Parents of young children were also warned to be diligent when their toddlers are playing outside.
The Witness spoke to several Howick vets, including Peter Johnson and Martin de Scally, both of whom attended to apparently poisoned pets who later died. Tests are now being done to determine the exact cause of death.
It is sometimes helpful to take regurgitated dog food to the vet. While doing this, dog owners must remember that they should not come into contact with the food, as it may be poisonous.
The onset of the clinical signs associated with Temik poisoning is sudden. The most common your dog will show include vomiting, drooling or frothing at the mouth, appearing off balance, muscle tremors or twitches that develop into convulsions, constricted pupils and/or diarrhoea.
well I rather not say.