Dogs poisoned with strychnine, three dead so far - Spokane, WA

Saturday, Feb 20, 2010

County: Spokane

Disposition: Open

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

At least three dogs in Spokane's South Hill have died after eating poisoned meatballs.

The latest report was filed Monday. KREM-TV reports it was the fifth such find since Friday.

The meatballs have been sent to Washington State University for testing to identify the poison.

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward to catch the person responsible for poisoning the dogs in Spokane.

Case Updates

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.

Source: KOMO News - Feb 23, 2010 Update posted on Feb 23, 2010 - 10:30PM

References

• « WA State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Spokane County, WA

  Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.
  
  For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.