How terrible for this woman! The worker who placed the bait should lose his job! How many other pets has he killed through his ignorance or maliciousness. If he had read anything about the poison he would KNOW the poison was very dangerous for household pets. I can only assume that he actively lied to Rey. The only other option is that he is illiterate, in which case he should not be allowed to work with poisons.
Please remember that anything that kills small mammals WILL kill cats and dogs. There is NO safe level of poison for dogs or cats. If you’re concerned about mice or rats either place bait where there is NO Way your pets can get to the bait.
Thanks to the Fayetteville Observer for this article.
Rat poison kills two dogs
By Sarah A. Reid
Staff writerLisa Rey was a little worried when she saw a man, with gloves up to his elbows, take a long metal rod and fling plastic bags full of rat poison into her backyard.
But when she asked whether the little green pellets would hurt her dogs, the man, who works for the Cumberland County Health Department, calmed her.
His exact words were, They would have to eat their weight in it,” a teary-eyed Rey said.
In the past week, two of her dogs have died and a third has been hospitalized. Rey said veterinarians at Highland Animal Hospital told her the poison killed her dogs after they ate it.
Veterinarians at the hospital would not comment about Reys animals when they were called Friday.
We are genuinely sorry that this happened,” said Jane Stevens, the environmental health director for the Cumberland County Health Department. This is not our intent at all when we do our rodent baiting.”
Rey paid $15 in 2006 and in 2007 to have the county bait her yard, according to Stevens records.
There is no written policy that requires county workers to tell a homeowner about the dangers of using the poison, Stevens said. But she said she felt confident that her employees who bait yards frequently warn customers.
Stevens, who also has baited yards, said the plastic bags are typically placed in holes that the rats travel through.
This is poisonous,” Stevens said.
It will kill whatever eats it. Thats what its for, but Ive never had a report of it killing an animal.”
She would not name the employee who baited Reys home on Hartwell Road on May 25.
I dont want his name in the paper until we talk to him,” Stevens said.
The employee was on vacation Friday, Stevens said.
When asked whether he would be disciplined, Stevens said she would have to speak with him before that determination was made.
The man has been working for the department since 1989 and is one of four people in the 19-person department who is allowed to bait yards, Stevens said.
Those four employees take a class and obtain an applicators license before they are allowed to place rat poison in yards.
