Since July Cessnock Veterinary Hospital has treated approximately 12 dogs a month, with the majority of cases involving younger puppies.

Veterinarian Robert Boyd said that the rate is a serious concern and that while the majority of cases are have good outcomes, it can be a very traumatic experience for both the dogs and the owners. 

“There is nothing worse than owners bringing their dogs in here not knowing if they will pull through,” he said.

“This seems to happen whenever the area gets some sort of plague – be it when the weather warms up and the number of pests and rodents around increases.

“People put baits out but unfortunately what we are seeing is that the dogs, for whatever reason, are getting into it.”

Unlike snail bait where poisoning occurs quickly after ingestion, Dr. Boyd said that the symptoms for rat bait can take up to five days to show.

One case of rat poisoning occurred in Septem­ber when Cessnock man Geoff Locock’s assistance dog, Indy, got into some rat bait located in his garage.

Mr. Locock quickly rushed his beloved Indy to the vet clinic after he realised what had happened. 

He said that is was a very upsetting thing to go through, but fortunately after receiving plasma transfusions Indy made a full recovery.

“The message is that if you think your dog has eaten poison, than take them to a vet straight away,” Dr. Boyd said.

“The longer it is left untreated, the worse the outcome.”