Fears rat poison is killing dogs in Thrapston

The group are meeting at this area of the lake today to search the area for rat poison

In a post on the Welcome to Thrapston community news page it was said a vet believes the dogs have come into contact with rat poison.

In the post, the group said: "There are reports of four dogs being taken ill after walking at the lake / gravel pit. One dog has had to be put down. Vet thinks rat poison in the area.

"Can anyone confirm any of this please?"

Four dogs have been taken ill and one was put down after suspected poisoning

Some of the comments on the page confirm that one dog was put down after becoming unwell.

In response to the situation, Welcome to Thrapston has organised a walking search of the area to investigate the suspicions.

In another post on the page, the group said: "An idea from a reader. Let's all head over to the lakes tomorrow. Leave dogs at home obviously.

"Bring a bin bag and maybe some gloves too in case you find anything and we'll walk around the lake, and nature reserve bit by cows field, where they've chopped the trees down, and look for anything dodgy."

The post said they would take anything suspicious to Thrapston police station.

A group met at 11am between the two bridges by the sailing club but said any time of day when people are free to help is fine."

The post in Welcome to Thrapston added: "Please wear gloves for your safety. Please wash your footwear etc before returning home to your dog."

Apparently the possibility of rat poison by the lake has been reported to police.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: "We received a report about this at 1pm yesterday (Sunday, October 20).

"The report was of the death of a dog earlier that day following a walk in Thrapston on Saturday, October 19. The owner reported that the death was due to poisoning."

The police spokesman added that the area of the walk was around the pocket park, lakes and high street area.

It is not the first time there has been concern for dogs and wildlife in the area. Last year there were reports of dead fish in the lake, which the Environment Agency said was due to low levels of oxygen in the water caused by hot summer weather.

Tests also revealed there was blue-green algae in Thrapston Lake which can be harmful to pets, and warning signs were put up.

Rat poison can pose a threat to pets and wildlife even in small amounts. There are different types, but according to advice website Pets4Homes, the most common type of poison stops blood-clotting.

Symptoms to look out for include bleeding from the nose, blood in faeces and small blood vessel bursts in the skin, eyes and gums.

Unfortunately, if a dog has ingested poison it can cause bleeding that does not stop and internal bleeding can cause lethargy, coughing, weakness, breathing difficulty.

If you suspect your dog has been poisoned, take it to the vets.