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Please be careful when walking your dog in DOC land and forestry.
There are several baits that are used to control rat, mustelid and possum populations.
Whilst the baits are usually contained in stations, it is possible that a dog could come into contact with poison via a dead carcass or if the bait station has become compromised.
There are also several poisonous trees – karaka berries are extremely toxic to dogs. Many of the foliage from the forest floor such as foxgloves and mushrooms can also be deadly. All material on the forest floor is essentially decomposing organic matter and so can be a potential threat if ingested.
Signs of toxicity can include lethargy, sedation, tremoring, agitation, seizuring, vomiting and diarrhoea.
We recommend that you keep your dog on lead. A long line can work well as it allows the dog some freedom to sniff all the smells and have some agency in terms of where they go, whilst keeping them safe.
Checking your dogs’ faeces daily is a great thing to do as it is a good way of ruling out ingestion of baits as most of the baits are coloured green and blue.
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