WSU vets: Strychnine found in meatballs fed to dogs
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Strychnine more than likely killed Abby and Snoopy, the two dogs that belonged to South Hill resident David Cheney.
Investigators believe the dogs died after they ate poisoned meatballs someone had thrown over the fence into their backyard.
"Actually about noon time, my sister told me something was wrong with the dogs and I went over and scoped it out," said Cheney. "One of my dogs was twitching really bad and the other one was already gone."
Not far from Cheney's yard, Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS) officers found several uneaten meatballs with a blue-green tint meat similar to that of rat poison.
On Tuesday morning SCRAPS shuttled their evidence in the poisonings down to Washington State University's Veterinarian School for further analysis.
Lab results confirmed the meatballs contained strychnine.
"It's looking like its a fairly common poison that you can get anywhere, so that could be a dead end as far as investigation concerned," said Gail Mackie with Spokanimal said. "But if we can identify it and something happens again, we're a step ahead of it as far as veterinary treatment."
In addition to Abby and Snoopy, another Spokane woman's dog died last week after eating a tampered meatball.
Rat poison contains a chemical that causes animal organs to hemorrhage; therefore, any type of bleeding is a warning sign.
Pet owners can buy their dogs some extra time by forcing the dogs to vomit. Vets recommend filling a syringe with a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide, and squirting it into the back of the dog's throat.
More suspect meatballs were found Monday, the fifth such find since Friday.
The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward to catch the person responsible for poisoning dogs in Spokane.
KXLY-TV in Spokane contributed to this report.
Investigators believe the dogs died after they ate poisoned meatballs someone had thrown over the fence into their backyard.
"Actually about noon time, my sister told me something was wrong with the dogs and I went over and scoped it out," said Cheney. "One of my dogs was twitching really bad and the other one was already gone."
Not far from Cheney's yard, Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS) officers found several uneaten meatballs with a blue-green tint meat similar to that of rat poison.
On Tuesday morning SCRAPS shuttled their evidence in the poisonings down to Washington State University's Veterinarian School for further analysis.
Lab results confirmed the meatballs contained strychnine.
"It's looking like its a fairly common poison that you can get anywhere, so that could be a dead end as far as investigation concerned," said Gail Mackie with Spokanimal said. "But if we can identify it and something happens again, we're a step ahead of it as far as veterinary treatment."
In addition to Abby and Snoopy, another Spokane woman's dog died last week after eating a tampered meatball.
Rat poison contains a chemical that causes animal organs to hemorrhage; therefore, any type of bleeding is a warning sign.
Pet owners can buy their dogs some extra time by forcing the dogs to vomit. Vets recommend filling a syringe with a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide, and squirting it into the back of the dog's throat.
More suspect meatballs were found Monday, the fifth such find since Friday.
The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward to catch the person responsible for poisoning dogs in Spokane.
KXLY-TV in Spokane contributed to this report.
