Brimington dog owners warned over 'rat poison' sausages

A woman is warning dog owners to be vigilant after her dog ate a sausage filled with suspected rat poison on a public footpath.

Jane Simms, 59, said her cocker spaniel Maggie ate the sausage on Recreation Road, Brimington, on Saturday.

Veterinary nurse Helen Clarke confirmed the animal was treated after ingesting a suspected poisonous substance that "could have been fatal".

Derbyshire Police said it had received reports from concerned dog walkers.

Mrs Simms said she saw Maggie pick something up and then "saw blue fragments on the floor" during a walk in Brimington, near Chesterfield, on Saturday morning.

"It wasn't until I met two other dog owners on our walk, who then warned me about the sausages that I realised what Maggie had eaten," she said.

"I was mortified. I was so upset because she's my baby."

Mrs Simms said she took the 14-month-old dog straight to a vet for treatment.

"I was thinking will she survive and what harm will it do her?" she said.

"At one point I thought I had lost her because she had closed her eyes."

Mrs Simms said Maggie was "doing OK" now but needed to be monitored by a vet in case any further damage had been caused.

Helen Clarke, from Chapel House Veterinary Practice in Chesterfield, said a veterinary surgeon "induced vomiting to remove any possible toxin from Maggie".

"The vomit produced blue pellets, which are highly suggestive of rat poison or slug bait," she said.

"Had Maggie not received emergency veterinary attention she would have become seriously unwell and depending on the quantity ingested this could have been fatal."

Another dog owner, Sam Childs, said she collected seven cooked sausages stuffed with blue pellets, which she believes was rat poison, nearby in the village.

She said she was warned by other dog walkers before going out with her eight-year-old dog Lulu on Grove Road at about 18:40 BST on Sunday.

"I was scouring the floor looking out for them," she said.

"I found one, then two and another. There were seven in total, scattered about 10 steps away from each other."

The 37-year-old said she struggled to understand why someone would do such a thing.

"Whether it be dogs, cats or other wildlife - there are also cows and horses in the area - it could kill them if they ate them," she said.

"Also, toddlers have a habit of picking up things and eating them."

Derbyshire Police confirmed it had received reports about a number of sausages "filled with an unknown substance" and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

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