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LEHI — After two dogs in a Lehi neighborhood started having seizures, a third dog owner nearby reported her animal was poisoned. Veterinarians said the pets were most likely given a toxic chemical.
"We just saw her under the trampoline, and she was lifeless," said Vanessa Moody, the owner of the third dog, a 1-year-old Miniature Schnauzer named Hermiaty, who lost all muscle control. Moody took the dog to a veterinarian, who said the dog had high levels of toxins in her blood.
"They said she would've died," said Moody.
Dr. Arden Gillespie is the veterinarian for Rowen, the Weimaraner-Chocolate Lab mix who died Tuesday after seizing several times. Rowen's body was sent to a lab in Logan for an autopsy.
"They found stomach contents that were consistent with the toxicity of some sort. It was a green, grainy material," Gillespie said. "It's very suspicious that this was a malicious poisoning."
Gillespie suspects that dog was poisoned with strychnine, which is a chemical used to kill rodents. The owners of Rowen, Jim and Melanie Green, said the poison is nowhere in their yard. They live in a neighborhood across the street from Thanksgiving point.
One house away, a Blue Heeler-Lab mix named Lucy was seizing around the same time. She survived. The owners, David and Emily Ybarra, said their veterinarian suspects Lucy also was poisoned.
"We're not going to rule out anything," said Sgt. Jeff Swenson with the Lehi Police Department.
Police are going door to door, asking neighbors about the incident. Investigators say they may never know who did it or why.
"It's going to be hard to prove," said Swenson.
Police are waiting for lab results on the third dog. They should be in late next week.
