When Mia Davis and her partner took their dog Barra to the vet they did not realise the 7-year-old staffy had been poisoned and would not make the trip home.
Just a day later, Ms Davis's three other working dogs started vomiting and shaking.
She suspects all four dogs, living near the south-west WA town of Harvey, had been poisoned.
“We thought it's not a coincidence that this is all happening. We took them to the vet and confirmed they had been poisoned,” Ms Davis said.
“My boyfriend's dog [Barra] unfortunately had to be put down as kidney failure had just gone too far.
“[The dogs] are not just my family, they're my employees. So taking them away from me is a huge thing.
“I have heard of it before, but honestly never thought it would happen to me.”
Bluey, Pup, and Dingo are recovering after the local community rallied behind the family to pay thousands of dollars in vet bills to help treat them.
Poison suspected, not confirmed
Harvey veterinarian Arporn Kruger, who treated the dogs, said it was likely the dogs had ingested something they should not have.
Dr Kruger said the dogs were healthy one day, then very sick the next.
“Most likely, we can't confirm, most likely they probably ingested something that's been poisoned that damaged the gastro intestinal tract, the lining,” she said.
“That's why they were throwing up so much. We found blood in the faeces, that means the lining in the gut is damaged.
“It's hard to say what it was but it was something that was very, very strong.”
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Attacks on WA pets ‘widespread'
The RSPCA is investigating to find out exactly what happened.
South West inspector Genna Haines said attacks on pets were common and widespread across WA.
“It's awful, it's very sad that animals are being targeted in these kinds of deliberate attacks,” she said.
“Predominantly it's more in suburban areas, and it's usually because of neighbour disputes or disputes between people.
“Unfortunately the animals get caught in the middle and they get targeted.
“In a lot of cases it is fatal, so getting your dog to the vet as soon as possible can make a huge difference as to whether they survive or not.”
