Second dog dies as test shows no 1080 poisoning

Buller hunter John Weir believes 1080 pellets are to blame for two of his dogs' deaths, despite Animal Health Board (AHB) tests finding no traces of the poison in the first dog that died. File photo / Wairarapa Times-Age

Buller hunter John Weir has lost a second dog to what he believes is 1080 poisoning, just as the Animal Health Board (AHB) says its tests found no traces of the poison in the first dog.

Mr Weir said he declined to have his second dog, Storm, tested after she was euthanised by a vet on Saturday because he was sure secondary 1080 poisoning had killed both dogs.

Mr Weir's younger dog, Mist, was put down at the beginning of the month. She had been ill for about a week after she ate possum bones on property bordering an area where an AHB 1080 drop took place last August.

Today Mr Weir said Storm had been with Mist at the property.

Storm had been "off-colour" ever since Christmas and stopped eating for four days before she died, he said.

A mouth swab from Mist had tested positive for 1080 when he sent it to the Cawthron Institute, which he believed contracted the testing out to a second party.

He didn't believe the AHB test results were accurate and had posted his own results to them.

"I know it's 1080. I first used it in the forestry service in 1963... It's horrible stuff...

"I don't want compensation. I want an apology," said Mr Weir.

However, the AHB TB eradication and research manager, veterinarian Paul Livingstone, said independent laboratory tests of samples from Mist's body had found no traces of 1080.

AHB had followed the standard testing guidelines of using stomach and muscle samples. They were then sent to an independent Landcare laboratory to get the most accurate test results, he said.

He said that in his 40 years' experience, he had never come across the use of mouth swabs as a test for 1080 poisoning.

The helicopter flight path map for the August aerial operation clearly showed AHB contractors adhered to a 200m buffer zone around the property, he said.

"There is a strong lesson to be learnt here - if your dog is unwell and you suspect it has ingested a toxin, please take it to your local veterinarian immediately."

There was no point in assuming the animal was suffering from 1080 poisoning unless it had been diagnosed by a vet, which Mist hadn't been.

Before any aerial operation, the AHB advised local residents and provided advice about responsible dog safety.

It also offered dog owners on properties inside or bordering the operational area free muzzles and emetics to prevent incidents of dog poisoning.

As a matter of course, all local vets were also advised of aerial control operations.

AHB spokesman John Deal said it was worth noting that Mr Weir continued to allege that one of his dogs died of 1080 poisoning, even though subsequent independent laboratory testing categorically proved that not to be the case.

"Mr Weir should report and provide full details of any such incidents to the relevant authority, so that they can be properly investigated.

"This means either the AHB, the local Medical Officer of Health, the West Coast Regional Council or the Environmental Protection Authority," said Mr Deal.

- WESTPORT NEWS