I am writing about this today because unfortunately one of the dogs that we have looked after for close to 5 years has the signs of having been poisoned. This is such a terrible practice that exists all over the world and the fact that this would happen at a Buddhist temple makes it even worse since this is a "do no harm" religion.
The dog's name was "Mee" and was nursed back to health at the Tiger Cave Temple after having a broken leg from what we presume was getting hit by a car or motorbike. It is such terrible news that a well-natured dog that we have invested so much time into would get poisoned and ruthlessly killed just for occupying some space.
This is a big problem in Thailand as well as around the world because when dogs start to look for food or bark or do what dogs simply do, some people see them as a nuisance and then apparently feel little to no remorse by feeding them some laced meat and this slowly but surely kills them in a very painful and ruthless way.
I have seen this happen many times and it is very difficult for us to prevent at our projects since we can't monitor the dogs all the time and dogs that start to feel ill that don't understand what is happening to them tend to wander to some remote location to suffer away from the pack. I don't know why this is the case but when dogs all of a sudden are not there to greet you like they always have, there is good reason to panic in places like Thailand where poisoning is a regular occurrence and is also not punished by the police.
I can't imagine what "Mee" could have possibly done to annoy someone and can only presume that the poison was not put out specifically for him. It doesn't matter I guess but until something is done by the government or community to prosecute this sort of thing, the uncaring members of society will continue to do this horrible practice. I would like to believe that people who do something like that get their karma in the afterlife.
I want to go John Wick on the neighborhood until I find the perpetrators but since that isn't going to happen here are some things to look out for with your own dog and what you can do as a preventative measure if you think that your dog may have been poisoned.
If you live in a developed country and you have access to good veterinarians it is always best to rush the animal to their office so they can detect this sort of thing professionally. Many websites encourage you to specifically NOT do what I am about to suggest that you do, but if you don't have enough time or the area doesn't have access to a vet, following the first-world advice that is common on the internet isn't going to work for you.
The first sign that a dog might have been poisoned is that they will suddenly and abruptly start acting very different. Vomiting and diarrhea are always tell-tale signs of a problem but another is that if your dog that is normally excited by certain activities all of a sudden seems depressed and uninterested in things that would normally make them very excited. There are also reports of dogs that have dedicated owners that are cuddling up to you more often than normal or following you more than they would. We tend to look at this as an "awwww, how cute!" moment but it has been my experience that the dog is actually looking to you for help. Pay attention to this.
If the dog starts to develop rather severe diarrhea and vomiting, especially if they are followed by seizures, one method of intervention as a preventative measure that works and we use is to administer a hydrogen peroxide solution. You want to have a 3% mixture with water. Most hydrogen peroxide is already heavily watered down so when I say 3% I mean 3% overall, not 3% of the solution that is in the bottle in front of you mixed with tons of water. This is an important distinction to make because if you water it down too much it won't work. A majority of bottles of hydrogen peroxide that people keep in their houses for cuts and what not tends to be between 3 and 6 percent. Just be sure you don't administer the raw 6%. If you can get your hands on a syringe or dropper this will be a lot easier because dogs that are poisoned are generally not going to drink on their own.
Now you might not enjoy the process of force-feeding your dog friend something but just keep in mind that in genuine poisoning situations, time is of the essence and although your furry friend may not like the process, it is better than the alternative since when people put out poison baits they normally will use far more poison than is actually necessary.
You should administer no more than 3 tablespoons or around 45 milliliters of hydrogen peroxide solution. The ideal dose is 5 ml or one teaspoon per 10 lbs of dog body weight. No more than 3 tablespoons should be administered regardless of dog weight. The induced vomiting will happen 5-15 minutes afterwards.
Ideally, you shouldn't do any of these things but if you are too far away from a qualified veterinarian, as we often are out here in the rural areas of Thailand, you don't really have any other choice. Websites will warn against inducing vomiting in poisoned dogs and how the problem can be "made worse" by doing this as opposed to going to the veterinarian, but just keep in mind that these websites are mostly meant for people living in first-world-countries and the websites are probably concerned about liability. I just know that if I am somewhere rural that the alternative to not inducing vomiting is the near certain death of the animal in question. Since these heartless people put far more poison in the laced meat than is necessary, extreme measures must be taken.
Now I certainly hope that this never happens to any of you out there and if you are lucky, perhaps you aren't even aware of the fact that this is actually a widespread problem all over the world. Just remember to not administer more than 3 tablespoons or 45ml regardless of body weight.
if you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
Krabi Animal Welfare is a charity run entirely by volunteers and are a registered non-profit organization in Thailand and the U.K.. We aim to relieve the pain and suffering of dogs and cats within Krabi Province.
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