Dog Eats Food Laced With Poison From Abandoned Bag At Park, Critical

A pet dog was fighting for life after eating a bag full of McDonald's fries and a burger which was laced with rat poison.

The dog’s unnamed owner said she was walking her pet, a nine-year-old miniature Schnauzer x Cairn Terrier, at a dog park in Melbourne on Thursday when the canine, which was walking off leash, ran toward a cricket pitch after noticing an abandoned bag. By the time the owner could pull the dog away, it had already eaten the fast food that was there in the abandoned McDonald's bag.

The dog then fell ill and vomited for the next two days. On Sunday, the canine became very lethargic and had black diarrhea with pink spots. The dog was rushed to a nearby vet and given emergency treatment. The dog’s owner said the canine had consumed rat poison which was mixed with the fast food. The owner believes it was a deliberate move by an assailant.

"We weren't the only dogs and owners there, he was just the one who found it. I believe the person did this intentionally and discreetly at a dog park in a way that it wasn't easy to see and they could get away,” the owner told 7News.com.au.

The dog continued to remain in the hospital and was fighting for life. It was not clear if the canine would survive.

"They are hoping his body is up to making more red blood cells. He can't lay comfortably anywhere and isn't the dog I know. We still don't know if he'll make it,” the owner said.

Other dog owners in the area also reported such incidents. One couple said they saw tablets thrown around the cricket pitch.

"It's time for us to all realize that we shouldn't take our eyes off our dogs, or even walk around and chat," they said.

Meanwhile, police have decided to increase patrols around the park to catch the culprit.