Pesticide was the cause of dog’s death

Cyrena – a ten-year-old Japanese spitz – became seriously ill within three hours of the walk in the Les Creux and Beauport area on 24 July.

She was taken to All Pets Veterinary Centre in St Peter but died later in the night.

At the time, samples sent to a UK laboratory by vet Jeremy Miller showed that the dog had died after ingesting phorate, which was banned in Jersey in 2003.

The Environment Department then arranged for the samples to be sent to another laboratory, which recently confirmed the initial test results.

Despite carrying out a thorough investigation, Environment officers have not discovered how the pesticide, which is often applied in granular form, came to be in the area.

It is also not known what form the phorate was in when it was ingested by Cyrena.

The pesticide typically degrades within a few weeks of being applied or spilt and officers do not believe there is a continuing risk to other pets. Although several other dog owners reported that their pets had fallen ill after being walked in the area, there have been no further confirmed reports of phorate poisoning anywhere in the Island since the death.

In a statement, Environment director Willie Peggie said: ‘This was extremely sad for Cyrena and her owners, and caused concern among dog owners who like to exercise their animals in the area.

‘We don’t think there’s an ongoing risk, but it’s still worth reminding people that they should hand in any domestic or commercial chemicals that they think may be out of date or banned.’

Anyone who wants to hand in chemicals or needs advice on how to dispose of them is being asked to phone the Environment Department on 441600 or email environmentenquiries@gov.je.

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