DOG DEATHS: Vet Danny O'Sullivan from All Care Veterinary Hospital, pictured with Aine Considine, says three dogs have died in the Killarney area due to poisoning. Photo: Michelle Crean

By Sean Moriarty

A Killarney vet is calling on farmers and dog owners to work together and fully understand each other’s needs during the current lambing season - after a recent state of dog deaths.

Danny O’Sullivan, who owns the All Care Veterinary Hospital on Park Road, is making the call following the death of three pet dogs - two of which were in the Fossa area in recent weeks.

Farmers use a legally obtainable drug called Nitroxynil, commonly used for treating fluke in cattle, to poison lands where newborn lambs are grazing with their ewes.

They do this by lacing a carcass of a dead animal with the drug in an effort to keep wild foxes away from their flocks.

However, domestic dogs often eat from the carcass too and results in a painful death for much-loved family pets, he explained.

“Farmers often get bad press, but they are working with animals every day and have a degree of empathy towards domestic animal owners,” Danny said. “Dog owners must keep their dogs on leads at all times too.”

He explained that the drug is available to farmers to treat fluke but questioned the legality of using it for land-poisoning purposes. He added the wild animals, like foxes, could eat the carcass and later die as a result, where other wild animals could in turn eat that carcass further spreading the poison.

“There are two sides to this,” he added. “Dogs will hunt if given the chance, it is in their nature. Sheep will become stressed if they are chased by dogs and often the mother won’t even know her own lamb. That is why the farmers do it. I am not sure if using Nitroxynil this way is the right thing as it spreads via wild animals. I am calling on dog owners to take responsibility and keep dogs on a lead or within their own property, but also ask farmers to re-consider their way of doing things.”