How to prevent your dog from being baited

Dogs have been baited in two major Australian cities over the weekend. Here’s how you can get control back and prevent your dog from being poisoned...

One puppy on Sydney’s northern beaches and up to twelve dogs in Brisbane’s New Farm area were affected when pieces of contaminated meat were scattered in backyards and dog parks. While identifying early warning signs such as vomiting (often containing green or blue pellets), excess salivation and muscle tremors help to avoid disaster, preventing dogs swallowing baits is obviously the best solution.

But remember, baits are designed to be appealing. They use fresh meat along with poisons that have pleasant tastes (not named here for obvious reasons) so expect that your dog will want to eat them.

Here are your top tips to prevent encounters:

• Keep dogs on leashes in suspect areas
• Create a blanket rule of no scavenging for ‘park snacks’
• Learn and use the ‘drop’ command
• If you’re worried your dog has swallowed something suspicious, speak to your vet. One injection can help them bring up the bait quickly before it takes effect.