Mystery surrounds sick dogs after beach walks

A dog owner whose nine-month-old puppy fell ill after a visit to a beach says she was scared when her pet started vomiting.

Lottie James, 29, is one of several pet owners to have spent hundreds of pounds on vet bills after visits to Llansteffan beach in Carmarthenshire.

The dogs had sickness and diarrhoea but mystery surrounds the cause of the symptoms, with a poisonous plant, dirty puddles and potential sewage issues among owners' theories.

Carmarthenshire County Council said it was aware of the concerns raised and urged dog walkers to be vigilant if they saw a potentially poisonous plant, while Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Water said they were not aware of any pollution reports in the area.

Ms James took her collie, Callie, for a walk at the beach on 26 January, and the dog went into one of the puddles at the car park by the football pitch before they walked down the front coastal path and back.

By that evening, she said they noticed Callie was not well.

"We noticed in the evening she became really withdrawn, wasn't drinking or eating her food, taking herself to her cage which she never does," said Ms James.

"We took her to the vet, because I could see that she was in quite a lot of pain, her tail was between her legs, she was very weak, off her food, off her fluids."

Callie was initially treated with paracetamol, but the following night she began vomiting and had diarrhoea. She was given an anti-sickness injection and a five-day course of antibiotics for gastroenteritis.

So far the vet bill has cost Ms James £250, but she says other pet owners she knows "have spent over £1,000 on getting their dog better" after visits to Llansteffan beach.

Ms James used to take Callie on daily walks in Llansteffan without any issues, but added they would not be going back "for a while".

"It has scared us a little. We're going to wait and see until maybe something is done about it," she said.

Ms James warned others on the Pobl Llansteffan Facebook page and received more than 60 comments on her post, with many saying their dogs had also become unwell after beach walks there.

Elizabeth Mcfadden, 65, from nearby Llangain said her six-year-old papillon, Sprite, had been sick in the evenings following a trip to Llansteffan beach.

"The first time it happened was about two weeks ago," she said.

"I could hear him gagging and being ill in the night. I got up and he'd been quite ill in the bedroom in his little bed," she said.

"I washed it and then Saturday night (25 January) he was sick again. I'd been to the beach that day and he was ill that evening."

Ms Mcfadden said she usually took Sprite to Llansteffan every day and the experience would not put her off visiting the beach as it was her favourite place - but she wanted to know what was making her dog unwell.

"It is worrying to think there could be something like hemlock, or something in the water that could be making our dogs ill."

Another local resident, who did not want to be named, visited Llansteffan beach on 18 January with her two dogs and said her nine-year-old pet was vomiting clear liquid "more or less straight away", while her seven-month-old puppy had diarrhoea.

The puppy was taken to the vets where the owner received a bill of £80 for antibiotics and probiotics. The pet owner said she would not be taking her dogs to the beach until she knows "everything has been cleared up".

She said the problem could be hemlock but she had "never actually seen it" on the beach, adding she was also concerned that "overflows from the sewage side of things up into the estuary" could be the cause.

Llansteffan and Llanybri Community Council, which is responsible for the village green in Llansteffan in partnership with Carmarthenshire council, said parking in the area had occurred for many years "to allow local residents to walk their dogs and participate in other outdoor activities".

"Over the winter and spring, this area can become waterlogged after days of heavy rainfall, creating puddles and standing water, which dissipate naturally over time," it said.

Carmarthenshire council said the public "are reminded to be aware of hemlock, a poisonous plant that produces umbrella-like clusters of white flowers in summer," but stressed the plant was "not likely to be found on dynamic, exposed areas such as beaches, unless its roots are washed up on shore".

Councillor Aled Vaughan Owen, cabinet member for public protection, added dog walkers were "strongly advised" to make sure they do not allow their pets to eat such roots and to place their dog on a lead if they come across them.

Natural Resources Wales said it had "not received any reports of pollution incidents in this area". Welsh Water added it was "not aware of any problems with our assets near to Llansteffan beach".