Aug 13
We do have an update regarding some of the suspected poisonings in our area, and while we still don’t have all the answers, we have some action items that our community can help us with. We have toxicology results from a patient who was walking in the Gold Creek area and they came back positive for Compound 1080. This is the same toxin that was found in the Cranbrook Community Forest cases in 2017. Now, the biggest difference here is that the concentration of the toxin was very different, leading the pathologist to believe that this time it was a secondary poisoning. This would mean that there was a victim of the poison (likely a wild animal) that passed away and then a second animal (dog) found the remains and ingested some.
This shows how truly devastating and dangerous Compound 1080 is. Compound 1080 is an animal toxicant used to control wolves and coyotes in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan only (it is not available in BC). There is no way of knowing for sure if this was purchased with the intent to bait dogs or to control predators, but regardless of why it has been purchased, we know that it is being used in this area illegally and obviously has a devastating impact on our pets. Please click the following link for more information on Compound 1080:
https://www.canada.ca/…/document-compound-1080-rvd2014-03.h…
How can you help?
For starters, please click the above link and read about Compound 1080. Please also visit www.wolfawareness.org This is a non-profit organization that, among other things, is fighting to make poisons like Compound 1080 illegal to purchase. There is a section on their site (https://www.wolfawareness.org/poison-comment) where you can submit a letter to our government to help persuade them to reevaluate the legality of these poisons. Their goal is 5000 individual letters and they are almost at 3000. If you have the time to submit one, please do so!
In the Community Forest in 2017, it was confirmed that Compound 1080 was the cause of death for those suspicious toxicities during that time. This year, there were some mixed results which still leaves some questions we cannot answer. We know ethylene glycol (antifreeze) was the cause of two, and Compound 1080 secondary poisoning was the cause of two more. The case in Lois Creek trails in Kimberley is still a mystery. This patient did not come back positive for any Compound 1080, ethylene glycol, or have any other clues from the necropsy. So, we cannot prove or disprove it was a poisoning as the pathologist and toxicologist could not provide us with any more answers.
While we have some answers, we still don’t know everything. We hope you always exercise caution when out walking with your dog regardless and report anything suspicious to the RCMP.
– The team at Steeples Veterinary Clinic