Kelowna veterinarian calls for calm amid growing number of pet poisoning reports
Global News
A growing number of reports about pets being poisoned at Kelowna dog parks and walking trails is causing needless hysteria, according to a local veterinarian.
A growing number of reports about pets being poisoned at Kelowna, B.C., dog parks and walking trails is causing needless hysteria, according to a local veterinarian.
“It’s creating a lot of chaos and it’s unreasonable,” Dr. Jennifer Watt, the managing doctor at Fairfield Animal Hospital, said.
“(Poisonings) are extremely rare. I have been working emergency for a decade and I have never seen a poisoning, accidental or malicious.”
To date, there have been three public complaints in Kelowna and police have been notified in at least two. The results of investigations have yet to materialize.
While malicious poisonings are rare, there are a number of edible dangers dogs do tend to get into when out and about.
“We see dogs eating compost, we see dogs eating dead mice and other dead things off the ground,” Watt said.
“We see a lot of marijuana toxicity, with dogs eating things people have thrown out.”
Watt said most of these things cause an upset stomach and a variety of symptoms that at times need medical intervention and the most common culprit is marijuana ingestion.