Devastated dog owners have spoken of their heartache after their beloved pet was poisoned at a popular park.

Now Rebekah Dawson has urged fellow canine lovers to keep a close eye on what the animals are eating following the incident at Bathpool Park.

The 24-year-old had been out with whippet Pippa on March 20 when she believes the pooch ate something she'd found near the dirt path next to the beauty spot's car park.

Rebekah, of Kidsgrove, said: "I caught her eating something but by the time I got to her it had already been eaten. I thought nothing of it until later on when she got poorly.

Rebekah Dawson with husband Simon Dawson, dogs Sasha and Pippa and daughter Esmé Dawson.

"Pippa was a very sensible dog, she wouldn’t just eat any old thing.

"It would have had to have been planted in meat or something for her to take it. She’s always been a nightmare when it came to taking tablets."

After the walk the four-year-old dog was acting strangely and took her to the vets.

Rebekah, who lives with husband Simon and daughter, Esmé, said: "We noticed she became very lethargic and extremely sick a few hours after we got back from the walk. But we didn't know at this point she had eaten poison.

"The day after she got worse. She wouldn’t eat and continued to be sick and wouldn’t move from her bed."

The family took Pippa back to the vets for a second time where she had blood tests and scans before staying at the Vets Now centre overnight.


The following day Pippa underwent emergency surgery after vets suspected a blockage.

Rebekah added: "We almost lost her in surgery because she was so weak but luckily she managed to pull through."

The vets found that there was no blockage but noticed abnormalities in Pippa's liver. The team then took a biopsy of her liver which found evidence of poison and significant damage.

After a few weeks of recuperation Pippa showed signs of improvement after taking medication to regenerate her liver.

Bathpool Park in Kidsgrove

But a sudden decline in her health caused Pippa to have seizures and to lose weight.

"You could see she was really suffering," said Rebekah.


More tests indicated that Pippa was in the end stages of liver failure caused by the poison she had consumed at the park.

With much sadness the family said their final goodbyes and  had Pippa put to sleep on June 4.

"We couldn’t put her through anymore and we could see that she was very poorly," said Rebekah.

"We’ve been robbed of such a beautiful good dog and my four-year-old daughter has also lost her best companion. It’s been such a stressful few weeks."

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Pippa was treated at Vets4Pets in Alsager, the PDSA in Stoke and Vets Now, where her treatments totted up to just over £2,000.

Rebekah said: "Insurance didn’t cover half of her treatment so we had to set up a fundraiser. We had very generous donations from other whippet owners but sadly it only covered £300 of the treatment.

"Vets are so expensive, but we are grateful to the PDSA for taking her on at a reduced cost.

"I just want to raise awareness of what has happened, so that no other owners have to endure what we have been through.

"Keep a very very close eye on them. Even a sensible dog will eat something that’s been planted."

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