Parry Avenue dog deaths: Authorities found no evidence of contamination at field
AVS says two of the three dog deaths 'most likely' poisoned, as field reopens to public after investigations
SINGAPORE — Investigations have found no evidence of contamination at a field in Parry Avenue, despite authorities asserting that two of the three dogs that died after visiting the field in October were "mostly likely" poisoned.
The Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said in a joint statement on Saturday (11 November) that testing of samples taken from the field - a regular spot for dog owners - found no substances that could have killed the two dogs on 5 and 6 October.
Furthermore, post-mortem findings found no evidence that the third dog experienced poisoning. It was also not reported to have seizures, and is likely to be unrelated to the other two cases.
No other related cases have also been reported in the vicinity or other parts of Singapore, and the field was reopened to the public on Sunday, after being cordoned off for investigations.
Dog owners had flagged the Parry Avenue field on social media in early October, claiming that their dogs had experienced symptoms of poisoning, such as multiple seizures and vomiting.
According to multiple news reports, the suspected poisoning cases were alleged to not only be at the Parry Avenue field, but also along the nearby Phillips Avenue and Sandilands Road.
Third case unrelated to other two cases
As two of the deceased dogs were cremated before investigations, no samples were available for laboratory analyses to determine the cause of illness and death.
However, considering clinical information on hand, AVS and SLA said that poisoning was the "most likely cause of demise".
After interviewing the owner of the third dog, which died on 5 October, the authorities determined that the dog did not enter the Parry Avenue field, but had walked in the vicinity of the field.
Clinical signs of the third dog were found to be unlike the other two dogs, and it did not suffer from seizures. Based on the findings, it is likely the third case is unrelated to the other two cases, said the authorities.
How investigations were carried out
AVS and SLA commenced investigations upon being alerted to the matter on 7 October.
The affected dog owners and attending veterinarians were interviewed by the agencies to gather relevant medical, environmental and epidemiological information. Dog owners living in the vicinity of Parry Avenue were also contacted to report any similar cases.
Environmental samples from the field and its surrounding areas were also tested by the National Environment Agency. An advisory was also issued to all licensed veterinarians in Singapore.
The authorities would like to remind dog owners to keep a close watch on their dogs in public places, such as leashing their dogs to minimise the risk of injury.
Suspected cases of animal cruelty or injuries can be promptly reported to AVS's website or by calling the Animal Response Centre (1800-4761600).
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