GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Graaff-Reinet pet owners are warned to be on the lookout for unknown meat in their yards, following reports of attempted pet poisoning in the town.
Resident Corleen van der Walt, got a fright on 2 August, after finding a bag filled with what she thought was poisoned droëwors. "I was so worried because my dog started eating it," she told Graaff-Reinet Advertiser on Tuesday.
It has since been discovered that the droëwors was not poisoned, but left behind by a 19-year-old man who burgled a nearby home and hid in Van der Walt's yard. According to Captain Bradley Rawlinson, the spokesperson for the Graaff-Reinet SAPS, he was arrested at the property with stolen goods at around 01:00.
"I am so grateful for the police," said Van der Walt, who warned residents to look out for meat on their properties, as she is aware of local pets who have been poisoned.
Hillary Chaplin, Graaff-Reinet SPCA inspector, told Graaff-Reinet Advertiser on Tuesday that the organisation recently received a report of possible poisoning. According to her, dogs are often poisoned to gain unobstructed entry into a yard, and often house cats seen as a 'nuisance' are also poisoned.
"This is inhumane as the animals suffer a slow and painful death," explained Chaplin, who has lost two cats to poisoning.
Common symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, drooling, diarrhoea, agitation and the pet is unsteady on their feet. These symptoms come suddenly with no other explanation.
Activated charcoal can be used as a form of first aid until your vet is reached.
Poisonings must be reported to the SPCA and SAPS, and the body must not be buried as it may contain vital evidence needed at an autopsy.
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