Dog death sparks pesticide warning

Cyrena, a ten-and-a-half-year-old white Japanese spitz, became seriously ill within three hours of her walk from Les Creux to Beauport on 24 July and was rushed to the vets. She died three hours later.

Test results, returned this week, show that her death was caused by ingesting Phorate, a pesticide that has been banned in Jersey for 15 years.

The Environment Department is now investigating.

Vet Jeremy Miller, from All Pets Veterinary Centre, who treated Cyrena and sent samples of her stomach contents away for testing, has now called on dog owners to avoid walking their animals in the area.

‘This particular pesticide has been banned in Jersey since 2002,’ said Mr Miller, who urged anyone who thinks that their pet may have been poisoned to contact their vet.

‘We have never seen a case like this before and the toxicology lab I sent it to said they had not seen it before either.

In small amounts Phorate, which is used to control sucking and chewing insects and is most commonly applied as granules, can cause eye and skin irritation in dogs.

However, if ingested the effect can be far more serious and can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, hypersalivation and neurological effects such as tremors and breathing difficulties. It is also toxic to humans.

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