Residents in a Kinghorn street are calling for an urgent investigation after two dogs mysteriously died and a further four were left seriously ill.
The pets, all from the Fife town’s Burnside Avenue, were walked along the same nearby Burnside Path before they began displaying horrendous symptoms, say the owners.
Mark Woodward’s seven-year-old Labrador, Rosie, was the first to suffer after falling ill on June 5.
He told The Courier he and his family were left devastated and heartbroken after Rosie passed away just 48 hours after falling ill.
‘Shaking uncontrollably’
“She’s always been a healthy dog until then but suddenly it was obvious there was something not quite right,” said Mark.
“She started shaking uncontrollably and the whites of her eyes and inside her ears turned yellow and she was running a temperature.
“It was shocking how quickly she detreated.
“The vet gave here antibiotics initially thinking it was some sort of chest infection.
“But the situation worsened as she began to pass lots of blood.
“Eventually after advice from the vet we had to take the agonising decision to end her suffering and she was put to sleep.
‘Devastating and heartbreaking’
“It was devastating and shocking just how quickly it all got worse.”
Rosie’s decline was almost identical to that of fellow Burnside Avenue resident, Zak Morton’s dog, Ruby.
Zak said the five-year-old Cocker Spaniel suffered similar symptoms and eventually died on July 5 after falling ill 48 hours before.
He said: “It was horrendous to have to watch your much-loved pet suffering so much.
“Ruby presented identical symptoms as Mark’s dog and also died within a couple of days.”
Since news of the deaths, emerged four more cases have come to light from owners on the same street.
Derek Brown’s dog, a nine-year-old Border Terrier Cross called Tiffin, fell ill with similar symptoms two weeks ago and remains seriously ill.
“We are taking it day-by-day but we are hoping we’ve caught it just in time,” said Derek.
Having contacted both Fife Council and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Sepa, the residents are calling for an urgent investigation to determine the cause of the trouble.
“Sadly it’s too late for mine and Zak’s dog but we urgently need to determine just what is causing this terrible suffering,” said Mark.
“There’s too much of a coincidence for six dogs to be suffering the same terrible fate.
Call for immediate investigation
“We are not pointing the finger at anyone we just need a regulatory body to come and properly investigate and confirm what is causing this.
“It would be horrible for other owners to have to experience watching their pets suffer and die in the same way as we have had too.”
The residents have also alerted the Kinghorn community council and local politicians in a bid find out more.
We’ve been saddened to hear of the deaths of dogs at Kinghorn, and others who have fallen ill.
Linda Turner, Fife Council
And the group have urged other dog owners in the area to be aware and to report any subsequent cases to Fife Council’s dog warden without delay.
Linda Turner, Fife Council’s service manager in public and environmental protection said: “We’ve been saddened to hear of the deaths of dogs at Kinghorn, and others who have fallen ill.
“After visiting the owners, our dog warden alerted our public protection team and have spoken with SEPA and Scottish Water.
“We’d remind dog owners to be vigilant when walking their dogs, especially if they’re off the lead, to make sure they don’t come into contact with any potential hazards and to visit their vets promptly if their dog shows any sign of illness.”
No environmental issues discovered
A SEPA spokesperson added: “SEPA has received reports of some recent medical issues with some dogs in the Kinghorn area.
“At present we are not aware of any environmental issue that could have been the source of these problems.
“However, we would encourage dog owners to report any issues in nearby watercourses to SEPA so that we can investigate.
“We would also encourage anyone that is concerned about a potential pollution incident to contact our 24-hour pollution reporting line as soon as possible.
“This can be done through our online form.”
Conversation