Anthony Fenech’s pet dog died after ingesting cat food laced with snail poison.

A dog owner took his dog out for what he thought would be the usual stroll only for the two year-old Jack Russell terrier to die a painful death after ingesting snail bait.

A distraught Anthony Fenech told Times of Malta he took his two dogs out for a walk from Kirkop to Qrendi.

The terrier, Bruce, was running along the pavement in Triq Ħaġar Qim when he stopped to eat something from a clump of weeds growing alongside a rubble wall.

“I scolded him and he continued to run along beside me. But when we got home he seemed to be looking at me in a strange way – at first I thought it was because I had given him a scolding.

“But a few minutes later, he started shaking vigorously. I was at my wit’s end.”

Mr Fenech rushed Bruce to the nearest vet in Żurrieq, who informed him that his beloved dog had ingested snail poison. The vet gave the shuddering dog an injection, administered medication and asked Mr Fenech to feed him salty water to make him vomit.

“I did as I was instructed and Bruce vomited blue pellets, which confirmed the vet’s diagnosis. But I also noticed that Bruce also vomited what looked like cat food – and I knew it was not the food I had fed him the night before.

“This means that some cruel person left the snail poison out with the express purpose of causing harm to animals.”

At the end of it all, he died an unnecessary and painful death, leaving a great void behind

Despite Mr Fenech’s efforts, the dog died some hours later.

“His quivering slowly subsided – a part of me wanted to believe he was getting better but I knew deep down that he was approaching death.

“At the end of it all, he died an unnecessary and painful death, leaving a great void behind.”

Following Mr Fenech’s Facebook post, a number of other owners came forward with similar stories of beloved pets dying a horrible death due to snail poison. In August, a petition to stop slug or snail poison from being liberally sold was making the rounds online.

The bait is sold without any records being kept and, as a result, the product is frequently abused to kill unwanted cats or dogs in the most painful of ways.

Roberto Balbo, director at the Veterinary Regulation Directorate, explained that the compound metaldehyde is used to protect plants against snails.

“It is sold and used in pellet form, which is why it attracts pets. In general, manufacturers put bittering agents to prevent, as far as possible, ingestion by other species.”

Could it affect human consumption of snails?

“Before being sold, snails receive an organoleptic evaluation. They need to be alive but starved. They require washing.

“Since dead snails would immediately emit a strong smell, the seller would generally discard the entire batch and therefore the risk should be quite low.”