A devastated family from Ruislip suspect their cherished pet was the victim of the antifreeze poisoning which has caused fear and concern among dog walkers in Hillingdon.
Nine-year-old Molly died suddenly after one of her daily walks around Ruislip Lido just before Christmas.
Now her owners and dog walker believe she was poisoned after reading recent reports on getwestlondon about the death of Labrador, Ollie.
Owner Becky Wilson, mum of seven-year-old Sid, and Leonard, two, said: “You read the stories about antifreeze and it makes you think. It makes you wonder.
“We will never know 100% what happened to Molly, it seems a bit of a coincidence - it looks like it is antifreeze poisoning.”
The black and white Staffordshire bull terrier was being taken on one of his daily walks by neighbour and friend Jean Woolf on December 19.
But following a lap of the lido and swim, Molly seemed unwell when she returned to Ms Woolf’s home. She took the pet to Miss Wilson and they booked an appointment at Arden House Vets, Ruislip, that evening, where Molly was kept overnight.
At around midnight, Miss Wilson received the shock news that her dog had died.
She said: “The vet said it was some sort of toxins or poison but couldn’t tell us more unless there were further tests, which we didn’t go for because I thought it wasn’t going to bring her back.”
Ms Woolf said she is certain the dog was a victim of the antifreeze poisoning which claimed the life of five year-old Ollie after he went for a walk in woods near the Lido.
She said: “We didn’t know anything about the symptoms at the time, but after I read about Ollie and the symptoms of antifreeze poisoning, they absolutely 100% applied to Molly.”
Hillingon Council has put up notices around the Lido drawing dog walkers’ attention to suspected poisoning.
It is also urging people to report suspected cases to police – something Ms Woolf did on Tuesday (February 10).
She said Molly was in fine form during her walk, running "like a little greyhound", but appeared listless, agitated and tired soon after their one-hour stroll.
She said: “I’m so upset, this is so, so sad. It’s just horrible.
“She was as much my dog as theirs – Becky would tell me that. We are in bits, it’s so raw.
“They’re devastated, she was an integral part of their family.”
Miss Wilson has had to explain the loss of Molly to her two kids. She said: “My two-year-old asks where Molly had gone, and my older one had a few moments and asked questions. But it was me and my partner, Mark, who bawled our eyes out.
“We had Molly nearly a decade, she came first before the kids. She wasn’t ready to go, she was fit and healthy.
“This is a horrible tragedy.”
