Poisons getting South Australia’s naughtiest dogs into trouble
South Australia’s 10 naughtiest dog breeds have been revealed, and they’re putting their lives at risk by chowing down on poisonous nasties. See what they are and get expert tips on how to protect your pooch.
SA News
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Border Collies are the state’s naughtiest dogs, risking their health by eating poisonous nasties, new data shows.
The Animal Poisons Helpline found the breed accounted for one in ten poisoning calls from January to August, followed by Labrador Retrievers (6 per cent of calls) and Staffordshire Bull Terriers (5.1 per cent).
Three-year-old border collie Ruby’s young owners Scarlett, 14 and Summer, 12, of Magill, SA, are relieved their pet has not got into any dangerous scrapes so far.
Their father Enzo says while Ruby has not gotten herself into any vet troubles, her predecessor Sturt (also a Border Collie) almost died several years ago after tucking into an unsecured box of snail pellets left on the floor of the garden shed.
“Border collies are so clever and are wonderful family pets,” Enzo said.
“But they are working dogs at heart and so are inquisitive by nature - always surveying and scoping out danger and sometimes they just land themselves in it by no fault of their own.”.
Rounding of the top 10 were Golden Retrievers (5.1 per cent), German Shepherds (5.1 per cent), Australian Kelpies (5.1 per cent), Cocker Spaniels (4.1 per cent), Beagles (4.1 per cent), Australian Shepherds (4.1 per cent), Australian cattle dogs (4.1 per cent).
Cross-breeds were not included in the data set.
It has prompted a warning to South Australians to poison-proof their homes to ensure the curiosity of our four-legged friends doesn’t get the better of them.
Brodifacoum, the active ingredient in rodent baits, was the most common toxin in South Australian dog poisonings, involved in more than six per cent of calls to the Helpline.
Almost 6 per cent of dogs fell victim to chocolate, while 4.6 per cent were poisoned by human food.
Fungi (3.9 per cent), and common insecticide Fipronil (3.3 per cent) were also among the top five toxins.
Your Vet Online CEO and Chief Veterinarian Dr Leigh Davidson said brodifacoum, which can cause internal bleeding if ingested, as well as chocolate were the biggest concerns. Certain varieties of fungi were also dangerous.
Dr Davidson said Fipronil and Pyrethroids would generally only cause health problems if consumed in large quantities, or if a dog was allergic to them.
Nick Merwood, a Specialist in Poisons Information at the Australian Animal Poisons Helpline, said some of the breeds listed were “prone to diseases that make them feel hungry, such as diabetes, and therefore are more likely to seek out food”.
“Some of the breeds are also more likely to have a condition that requires medication that increases appetite as a side effect, such as phenobarbitone for epilepsy or prednisolone for allergic skin disease and auto-immune conditions,” Mr Merwood said. He added the popularity of the breeds could also explain why they featured in more calls for poisons advice.
Dr Davidson agreed that some pet medications increased appetite and that it was something she brought to her clients’ attention, but often it was dogs’ curiosity that got them into trouble.
This meant dog owners must poison-proof their homes. “Put poisons like rodent and snail baits, human medications and cleaning sprays in a cupboard; preferably a cupboard that you can securely close because dogs will try and get into them,” Dr Davidson said. “You should also consider removing dangerous garden plants.
“If you are going to lay any baits, try and shield them from your dogs.”
Originally published as Poisons getting South Australia’s naughtiest dogs into trouble