Grieving dog owners break silence and call for action

The grieving owners of a dog who died from a poisoned public water bowl at a popular Sunshine Coast beach have called for action to save other animals.

A dog drinking from at tap at Dicky Beach in Caloundra. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The heartbroken family of a dog poisoned last week after drinking from a public water bowl on the Sunshine Coast has spoken out about the gruelling ordeal.

They were too traumatised to be identified or share photos of their dog and were “still grieving quite hard”.

In a written statement, the owners confirmed they tragically lost their two-year-old golden retriever due to the sudden onset of acute kidney poisoning.

“Our puppy was likely poisoned from a public water bowl at either Ann St, Dicky Beach in Caloundra or Pt Cartwright walkway in Buddina as these are the only locations he had been in the days before going to the vet,” they said.

The owners also contacted the Sunshine Coast Council, Crimestoppers and the RSPCA, calling for a simple solution to stop another horrific death.

The dog water bowl on Ann St, Dicky Beach, was taped off earlier this week.

The dog immediately started showing “sudden, out of the ordinary, symptoms” very soon after drinking from the bowls and he was rushed to the vet.

The owners said the dog received treatment at the Small Animal Specialist Hospital Sunshine Coast in Sippy Downs and the vet suspected poisoning because kidney failure poisoning was only related to a few specific items such as ibuprofen, antifreeze and grapes.

The heart-broken owners of a dog that died after being poisoned have spoken out in the hope of stopping another tragedy. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“None of these our dog had eaten or were even around the house,” the owners said.

The owners said the vet was certain because they had treated dogs with similar symptoms from water bowl poisonings in the past.

The owners claimed the vet also said the sudden appearance of poisoning symptoms, rather than them occurring gradually, and the short time frame from symptoms to death pointed towards the water bowls being the only likely cause.

The vet was contacted for comment.

“Our loss has absolutely gutted our family, especially with him being so young and with so much life ahead,” the owners said.

Barry and Alison Watson with their staffy, Ash, were concerned about the recent dog poisoning in the Caloundra area. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“We never want to see this happen again, when it could be so easily prevented with small slow-release drain holes in the water bowls.”

Implementing this idea could be as simple as a small hole drilled in the bottom of the bowl.

“It would also assist with kids not being able to play or drink from them or toads not laying in them causing other health issues to dogs,” they said.

On Wednesday, this publication spoke to other dog owners on Dicky Beach about the potential poisoning.

The Sunshine Coast Council cleaned the bowls at Dicky Beach after it was made aware of the poisonings.

The council spokesman said concerned residents should refer all reports of suspected pet poisoning to the RSPCA Queensland, which was the leading authority for complaints of this nature.

A RSPCA Queensland spokeswoman warned all dog owners to be vigilant and ensure they watched their pet so they did not ingest anything of unknown origin.