DOG OWNERS are being warned to be on their guard after lumps of meat laced with poison were discovered near a popular walking spot.

Sussex Police have sent out letters to people living in Sidehill Drive, Portslade, after a dog needed veterinary treatment.

Professional dog walker Alison Gusterson had left her van in a small car park at the end of the road next to a playing field.

When she returned after taking a group of dogs for a walk, one of them started to eat meat that had been tucked behind a wooden post at the car park.

She said: “I stopped her from carrying on straight away and then I noticed there were two meatballs which had been loaded with rat pellets.”

Ms Gusterson has done animal first aid and gave the dog a weak liquid solution to help her vomit before rushing the animal to vet.

She said: “She is a very small dog and ended up vomiting between 15 and 20 pellets, which was really dangerous. Fortunately she is ok.

“Obviously this is really worrying.

“Those pieces of meat were placed there deliberately so people need to be on the alert.

“I’ve heard of another incident when a woman found some meat in the playing field and her two-year-old daughter nearly picked it up.

“I want to warn dog owners to be vigilant and to make sure they get their animal to a vet as soon as possible if they think they have eaten any poisoned meat.

“I’ve been doing the job for 14 years and this is the first time I’ve experienced this.

Ms Gusterson also urged people to take a picture of anything they found and to report any incident to the police.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “Local residents are aware that this is a popular dog walking area and we urge them to be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour.

“If they see any similar pieces of meat we advise them to pick them up, remove them and report it to police.

“We are investigating the circumstances and take any report seriously.

“If you have any information report online here at sussex.police.uk/appealresponse or call 101 quoting reference 47170075899."

  • Has your dog been poisoned? Call The Argus newsroom on 01273021370