Dog owner's warning after his three dogs 'deliberately poisoned' while out on walk in Tamworth

Nigel Nicholson claims his Springer Spaniels picked up the toxic 'poison' on Monday 15 April in Stonydelph and died, while his other dog Flash might not make it through emergency treatment. Credit: BPM Media

A devastated dog owner has warned others to be careful after two of his dogs died and another is 'in a bad way' after a suspected poisoning while out on a walk in Tamworth.

Nigel Nicholson claims his Springer Spaniels Roxxi and Poppy picked up the toxic 'poison' on Monday 15 April in Stonydelph and died, while his other dog Flash might not make it through emergency treatment.

He said: "To who did this: You’re scum. I hope you can live with yourself. My dogs didn’t deserve this and the pain it has put them through.

"My wife, my kids and grandkids are heartbroken."Explaining what he thinks has happened, Nigel added: “By the looks of it, poison has been put out around Stonydelph somewhere and my dogs have eaten it. It’s hit or miss if my little man Flash makes it as my girls Roxxi and Poppy didn’t."

Staffordshire Police have said they are appealing for information, while the RSPCA has encouraged dog owners to be vigilant after the 'very concerning' incident.

Staffordshire Police said: "We are appealing for information after two dogs sadly died after eating something toxic on a walk in Tamworth. We were made aware of what happened at 5.30pm yesterday Monday, April 15.

"Two dogs, who had seemingly eaten something while they were out walking in the Stoneydelph and Birchmoor areas, were taken to the vets after falling ill and have since died. A third dog has been undergoing emergency treatment."We’re carrying out enquiries to find out more about what happened. If you have any information that can help us with our investigation, please get in touch. You can call us on 101, quoting incident 506 of 15 April, or message us using Live Chat on our website."

The RSPCA says signs of poisoning can include vomiting or seizures.A spokesperson for the animal charity said: “This is very concerning to hear and if anyone suspects this has been done deliberately and has seen anything suspicious they can contact us or the police and report their concerns.“We’d also encourage pet owners to keep an eye on the wellbeing of their animals and if they are showing symptoms of poisoning please get them veterinary treatment immediately.“Signs of poisoning can be seen anything from 30 minutes after an animal has ingested the chemical, though it can be two or three days before signs of kidney failure are seen.

"The signs of poisoning can include one, or several, of the following: Vomiting, seeming depressed or sleepy, appearing drunk and uncoordinated, seizures and difficulty breathing.

“Anyone deliberately poisoning an animal faces can be prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.“People should also take extra care when using any potentially dangerous substances, such as antifreeze or slug pellets, to ensure pets and wildlife are not affected and that substances are stored appropriately and properly disposed of.