“I thought she was going to die” – Dog owners warning after beloved pet is poisoned by 'toxic’ raisins dumped in Sheffield park

Beth White, 24, is warning other dog owners to remain vigilant when walking their beloved pets in Greenhill Park after seeing what happened when her five-year-old German short-haired pointer, Aida, ate some of the dried fruit hidden behind a tree.

Raisins are highly poisonous to dogs and can cause kidney failure which, if untreated, can prove fatal.

Aida was being walked through the park by Beth’s partner, Dan Quinn, on Friday September 11, when the incident occurred.

Beth, from Lowedges, said: “Aida was walking between trees and he noticed she spent longer behind one. As he walked behind he noticed a great pile of raisins that she was eating. We monitored her for signs of poisoning and she began being sick and not moving very much.

Luckily, the pair got straight on the phone to the vets who sedated Aida and gave her blood tests, IV fluids and medication to combat the poisoning.

They later returned to the park to retrieve the raisins, collecting around 5kg in total.

“I remembered hearing of a few other local dogs that have been poisoned, some through sausages laced with rat poison,” Beth added. “I began getting anxious that it was a personal attack, was somebody watching?

“The vets told us that raisin poisoning causes kidney damage and the extent would not be known until 24-48 hours after ingestion. It was a terrifying waiting game. I thought she was going to die, slowly and painfully.”

"My thoughts at the time were horror! I couldn't believe somebody would do that to innocent dogs. Aida is a good dog, and we are good people. I'm a student nurse working throughout COVID and had to use all of my savings.”

After spending 48 hours in the animal hospital, Aida is back at home and on the road to recovery.

Beth is now concerned that someone is deliberately trying to poison dogs in parks around Sheffield.

“My advice for dog owners is to be aware people are doing these anonymous crimes, so be vigilant,” she added.

“My words to the culprits; we must look after one another. It's not fun to upset people's lives like this.”

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