The number of dogs being poisoned is on the rise, according to the association. Emir, one of the service dogs trained by the association, died after eating poison. Often, perpetrators put rat poison in snacks or food likely to be eaten by dogs and distribute these poisonous snacks in areas where dogs are likely to notice them and ingest them.
The issue remains that rat poison is very easily accessible and can be bought even in supermarkets. How exactly can pet owners protect their beloved animals from eating poisoned sausages or the like?
Emir, one of the victims of dog poisoning, was no normal dog. He was a service dog, trained to work with the elderly and kids. Three months ago, 12 year old Emir was poisoned in his own garden. Marion Rosa, his owner, recounted the traumatic moment her dog died from poison. She said she had noticed blood in his urine and that he had seemed unwell more generally, which led her to take him to the vet.
Rosa explained that losing Emir pushed her to not be satisfied with submitting a complaint and instead to fight for justice. She spent ten days with her dog suffering from the poison before he died in her arms. Her voice cracking, Rosa told RTL she promised Emir she would fight for him.
Since Emir died, Rosa has felt her own garden is no longer safe. Every day, she checks the garden for an hour and a half for poison before letting her pets outside. Many people would think their gardens are safe from the risk of poison, but as Emir's example shows, that is not always the case.
The loss of Emir was felt beyond Rosa's family. He had been a service dog who was well known in the community. Training service dogs is also a costly and time-intensive endeavour. Dogs undergo training for more than two years at a cost of nearly €20,000, collected by the ASA association and its "E Stopp fir de Mupp" project.
Vet Vanessa Swiontek explained that sadly, dog poisoning is not a rare issue. Nearly every week a pet is taken to her veterinary practice for having ingested rat poison or a similar substance. She highlighted the need to act quickly if one notices a dog has ingested poison.
The issue with rat poison is that it stops a dog's vitamin K production, which is a prerequisite for blood coagulation. Without vitamin K, animals will bleed out. Swiontek explained that rat poison can also be dangerous for humans and larger animals in higher doses.
Marion Rosa has vowed to make it more difficult to buy rat poison in the memory of her dog and all other pets that die as a result of those individuals vindictive enough to spread rat poison in public and private spaces.
Video report in Luxembourgish.
