In the last month, a frequent visitor to Rode Road Dog Park in Stafford Heights discovered blue/green pellets in Grey Gum Park. He asked for help from the others to pick them up before it got too dark to see them.
It turns out that those pellets were snail pellets, which are very harmful to animals. What concerned park goers & dog owners most is that the pellets are scattered all over the dog park. Paul Rice, the person who discovered the pellets, immediately called the Brisbane City Council about this. BCC responded right away. Mr Rice also took to Facebook to warn residents about these pellets.
According to a council spokesman, upon receiving the report from Mr Rice, they immediately sent people out there to remove all the pellets. So far, the council hasn’t received any reports of animals getting sick following a visit to the park.
Another concerned citizen posted on the Rode Rd Dog Park Facebook page upon hearing the terrible news.
Death Cases In The City
Last year, there were some reported cases of animals that died from snail pellets in the city. Two of the animals, a cat and a dog, lived in the same neighbourhood in Victoria Point. Also in Victoria Point, in July of last year, two dogs were reported to have died due to ingesting snail bait, which was confirmed after they vomited out some of the bright blue granules.
Your Animals & Snail Pellets
According to the Animal Emergency Service (AES), Metaldehyde (green) and Methiocarb (blue) in pellet form are used to kill snails. Unfortunately, they are effective in killing dogs and cats as well. Apparently, animals like the taste of these pellets and so they ingest these freely when they find them.
The symptoms of snail bait poisoning are:
- Excitement
- Panting
- Trembling (which can develop into major convulsions leading to death)
- Excess salivation
- Diarrhoea
- Heat stress
Treating this may include inducing vomiting or proceeding to wash out the stomach under anaesthesia.
The AES is reminding everyone not to use these pellets to kill snails. There are other methods to prevent snails and slugs from damaging plants especially if you have other pets in your home.