A dog in Grand Junction has died and it appears its death may have been caused by a poisoned treat. While it is far too early to tell, this incident may be related to a situation which presented itself earlier this week.

Last Saturday morning, while walking on the Audubon portion of the Riverfront Trail, I found a common everyday dog treat situated on a tree stump immediately off the north side of the trail. As you can imagine, it seemed a bit odd that a dog treat would find its way to such a location. Since this seemed a bit suspicious, it seems best to pick up the treat and put in a safe place.

Early Monday morning, my vet was contacted about the found dog treat. I asked if there was any way to test the item for poison. The receptionist was uncertain as to any such test. We decided the wise thing to do would be to dispose of the treat in a safe manner.

As is normal with me, I never got around to disposing of it. The dog treat remained in my desk drawer, safe and sound in a zip lock bag.

Earlier today (April 6) a call came in from my veterinarian. A dog which had been in perfect health not 24 hours ago just died. Preliminary indications suggest arsenic poising. They called me in hopes the treat I had mentioned earlier this week might still be around.

As of this moment, the treat is on its way to vet, and then ultimately to the lab for testing. While this is probably a long shot, my gut suggests this treat is going to come back as tainted.

I certainly have no intention of sounding a false alarm. There is, however, the fact that one dog has already died. We will notify you as to the results of the test as soon as the information becomes available.

In the meantime, just like any other day of the week, please keep your eyes open while walking your dog. Dogs have powerful sniffers and can be drawn to things you probably don't want them messing with. At present, it may be there's an all new threat in town. Please watch your pet carefully.

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