Dog dies after eating sausage laced with nails
Dog owners have been warned after a pet died from eating sausages stuffed with nails in a public park.
Viola Coschemique, 41, had taken her dog Azaar for a walk at Dinton Pastures in Wokingham, when the Afghan Hound found several pigs in blankets stuffed with nails.
‘I saw one of the babies eating something and pulled him away with the leash,’ she said, ‘I went to check and saw tiny pigs in blanket sausages with nails in them.
‘He was fine afterwards. I was checking if there was symptoms but no. He did pass a nail but still had no symptoms so I presumed he was lucky.
‘Then out of blue, a few days later, he lost his appetite and was unable to control his bowel movements.
‘When everything started, it came crashing down so fast and the damage was so severe that the vet told me the only thing to do was to euthanise my poor boy.’
Azaar had internal bleeding which caused his organs to shut down with extreme dehydration and blood loss.
Viola has slammed those who left the spiked sausages in the park as ‘monsters’.
‘Those people, once they get bored of hurting animals, they will move to hurt people,’ she said.
‘So police should do more about it and harsher punishment should be enforced.’
Wokingham Borough Council, which manages the park, asked dog walkers to remain vigilant.
A spokesperson said: ‘We are saddened by the incident involving the Afghan hound, Azaar, and want to offer our condolences to the owner.
‘We have spoken with her to gather more information. Our rangers have inspected the location in question and have scoured the country park to check for any further sausages that have been spiked with nails.
‘We want to reassure visitors that our rangers have not found any further sausages or other items of concern.
‘But we would encourage all dog owners to keep a watchful eye on dogs while visiting Dinton Pastures.
‘We have also reported the incident to Thames Valley Police for further investigation.’
Viola paid tribute to 19-month-old Azaar, adding: ‘There are no words to describe how we feel or the void that he left in our lives.
‘He was the sweetest, most loving and goofiest dog I ever saw.
‘I have had Asperger’s syndrome since birth, and have complex post-traumatic stress disorder and agoraphobia after an assault with a knife.
‘But he made my life complete and gave me hope that I can function in public as normal.
‘This fluffy furball gave me the will and power to face everything and learn how to live again.’
She warned people to ‘be careful’ while out in the park with their animals.
‘Please be careful, and if you see something that can endanger your dog, remember it will endanger other living creatures, not only dogs but cats or wildlife,’ she said.
‘So please remove if it’s safe to do so or call police or a park warden to remove it if it’s unsafe for you to do so.’
Thames Valley Police have been contacted for comment.
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