This is not too far off-topic but thought it worth mentioning since the subject is poisoning...

I've noticed mushroom season has arrived and the suggestion to give your yard a daily once-over is a good one. They pop up literally overnight and they are not anything you want your dog getting into. I'm pretty horrified how many I've found.

"Its hard for us on this board to understand the rural mentality."
Ahh what? I guess that means Im just a little ignorant.
Actually there are way more dogs tied out in the city limits than in the country.I guess theres just ignorant people everywhere.
I really dont understand why people are jumping on the owner of the dog that got poisened. No one has any idea why the dog was tied out. There might have been a good reason for it other than the owner was just some poor ignorant country bumkin.
If somebody wants to poisen your dog they can find away to do it. There isnt any more protection from it behind a chainlink fence or a privacy fence.
The owner needs to get a necropsy done and atleast identify what killed it. And then scan the area for any witness'or anything. That would be very hard to do much with if nobody saw anything. There is no CSI van that rolls up on the death of a dog.
I recently took a dead dog to the state lab for a necropsy. The owners of the dog saw the neighbors call it over to the fence and feed it something. A few hours later the dog fell over dead. I got the report back and called the lab. The dog was not poisened. It had a corn cob blocking its intestines.
I tell you what, it sure can be hard to understand the city folk menatality some times!

Just so I do not address the wrong poster as happened above, I will address myself here.

Why are we sniping at each other?

Maybe it's human nature to alleviate our fear by looking around for reasons why the bad thing would not happen to US or OUR DOG..... because we do such-and-such, or because they did so-and-so.

There are things to learn from this tragedy. I guess we will all take away different lessons.

The necropsy is a good idea, I think (although in this case it appears that it was a rash of half a dozen animals....).

Maybe some will post their vet and poison-control numbers in plain sight and maybe buy deactivated charcoal and hydrogen peroxide for their first-aid kits.

 Quote: Sarah Morris

This is not too far off-topic but thought it worth mentioning since the subject is poisoning...

I've noticed mushroom season has arrived and the suggestion to give your yard a daily once-over is a good one. They pop up literally overnight and they are not anything you want your dog getting into. I'm pretty horrified how many I've found.

Yes, and I've seen dogs express lots of interest in those overnight toadstools.

Especially the hydrogen peroxide because thats something anybody can pick up easily. I know Ive used it a couple of times just to be safe after a dog has ate some garbage.

Actaully a necropsy will tell you if the dog has even been poisened. It may not have. Maybe it ate a mushroom, maybe its tainted dog food, or even a corn cob. It could establish a connection to the other dead dogs and somebody knows who was hanging around the other dog.I would definetely get the necropsy.

 Quote: David Morris

Especially the hydrogen peroxide because thats something anybody can pick up easily. I know Ive used it a couple of times just to be safe after a dog has ate some garbage.

I never thought of that. Dogs who get into and scarf down a lot of cooked fat from the trash (trimmings, etc.) or who get a big yummy munch out of rancid road-kill befoe the owner can stop them --- I'm thinking now that maybe a call to the vet right then to ask about inducing vomiting might prevent some cases of acute pancreatitis.

Not to mention some "feminine products" that dogs will go after in the garbage. Those "products" get in your dog and swell up and will kill it, or if your lucky a very expensive operation at the least.
Keep the hydrogen peroxide handy.

Yup, the poison pages say it's for "foreign objects," too.

QUOTE:
Three percent hydrogen peroxide (not hair coloring strength peroxide) is quite effective in making dogs and cats vomit. You must be sure to use three percent peroxide. Despite the label indicating that hydrogen peroxide is toxic, it is safe to give to dogs for this purpose. It is considered toxic since it induces vomiting and therefore does not stay in the body.

The appropriate dose of hydrogen peroxide is one teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight. If you have an oral syringe, one teaspoon equals 5 cc or 5 ml. Once given, walk your dog around or gently shake the stomach area to mix the peroxide with the stomach contents. Vomiting should occur within 15 to 20 minutes. If no vomiting occurs, you can safely repeat the three percent hydrogen peroxide once. If it is still not effective, your dog may need to be seen by a veterinarian for stronger vomiting medication. END

Also, QUOTE:
**Warning** - Know the substance before you make your pet vomit.
In ALL poisoning cases, please seek veterinary care immediately!

If convulsions, seizures, shock or lethargy are present as symptoms, do NOT induce vomiting!

In ALL poisoning cases, please seek veterinary care immediately!
Vomiting is only a temporary fix to give you enough time to get your pet to a vet. END

Sorry, I did not mean to imply that I thought the owner was at fault here. They certainly were not negligent in my mind.

I only felt that folks were pointing out the dangers associated with leaving dogs unattended, GENERALLY speaking. It is dangerous. I was speaking more about what dogs can get into (add mushies, corn cobs, garbage and the like). Obviously I got off topic.

I also fully accept that if someone wants to poison a dog it is not too tough. Secure yards, kennels or what have you...

You are correct that there are folks in all sorts of environments, city and country that could learn a few things from a site like this.

I suppose I was kinda venting when I was refering to my friends dog being free....

I did not mean to offend anyone. I am pretty sure we are all on the same page here, aren't we?

Cheers,