An Omaha Beach resident is issuing a warning to local dog owners after her 16-week-old puppy sadly passed away after ingesting something toxic while walking on the beach. 

Jenny Barclay took her pup for an afternoon walk at around 4:00 p.m. along the southern end of Omaha beach. They then went around the duck pond to the quarry and back along the beach. The puppy ate dinner at 6:00 p.m., but then vomited at 7:00 p.m.

By midnight the same night, she had to be put on full life support. 

“We put her to sleep at 3.00 a.m. after cycles of CPR. She had neuro toxic shock. Everything is pointing to something she picked up on the beach. Being a pup, she did pick up shells and sometimes a bit of seaweed. I thought I was careful in keeping her in the low tide area and I have seen no slugs. But there is something very nasty out there. We do not know if it was a slug, bait or some other poison. We are absolutely gutted at her loss and don’t want this to happen to any other dog,” said Jenny.

This sad news comes after reports of toxic sea slugs on both Takapuna and Orewa beaches. In 2013, eggs laid by toxic sea slugs, and their sacs, were suspected to be the cause of seizures suffered by dogs walking on Auckland beaches. Both the slugs and sacs contain tetrodotoxin, the poison found in puffer fish, which was found in high concentrations on beaches in Auckland and Coromandel.

This summer, people need to be aware of sea slugs and treat them with the same caution they would stingrays and jellyfish. Symptoms of poisoning include numbness and tingling around the mouth. Nausea and paralysis can also occur. Anyone touching them should immediately wash their hands thoroughly and seek medical advice.

If a dog is showing symptoms of poisoning, they should be taken to a vet. However, if they have

come into contact with the toxic sea slugs there is not much that can be done, as sadly, the deaths tend to happen very quickly.