Three dogs die after allegedly ingesting poison in New York

Ralph Edwards was over the moon last summer when he brought Cali, an adorable 3 month old Rottweiler puppy, back to his Washington Heights home. She quickly became a beloved member of the family.

But two weeks ago, the playful dog became seriously ill one morning without warning.

She wasn’t eating, acting lethargic and “even looking very sad,” Edwards, a 42-year-old facility manager, told the Post. He took Cali to the vet, where she received antibiotics and underwent several tests.

“They called us back and said she was really sick and we needed to take her to a hospital,” Edwards recalls

He took the dog to the hospital, and soon her condition worsened.

“Your kidneys and liver [had] failed,” he said.

Edwards had to make the heartbreaking decision to euthanize the sick dog. While the vets couldn’t say for sure what caused the pup to get sick so quickly – they initially thought it was the deadly bacterium leptospirosis, but she tested negative – he believes it was rat poison that got her on consumed the streets of the city.

“The only other thing that could have run through them that quickly was poison, which they told me,” Edwards said. “She was a pup, we didn’t really take her anywhere or drive her out of town or anything. Just neighborhood walks and that’s about it. I just put all the pieces together.”

Cholecalciferol rat poison pellets — which are often distributed around town to control rodent populations — are a common cause of kidney failure in dogs, according to Dr. Ann Marie Zollo, an emergency and critical care medicine specialist at Schwarzman Animal Medical Center at 62 St.

“It basically gives you an overdose of vitamin D, which can then ultimately lead to high calcium and kidney failure,” Zollo told The Post.

In the past few days, two more dogs have died in the Washington Heights area where Cali lived and walked. Edwards said rat poison was again the likely culprit. Neighbors have since distributed flyers around Cabrini Boulevard warning pet owners.

“It was a very sad thing that happened [to Cali],” he said. “Now it’s all about raising awareness, and this is a neighborhood where dog owners look out for each other.”

The property manager at 140 Cabrini Boulevard is also working to raise awareness. An email – obtained by The Post – was sent to residents of the building, warning them to keep an eye out for “pink pellets” on the ground near the building.

“Please be vigilant if you walk your dog in the area please also inform your dog walkers of this issue,” the memo said, adding that the Supers did not plant the poison.

“This could be someone who has no attachment to the properties that do this.”

But the problem of dog exposure to rat poison is far from unique to the Upper Manhattan hub, Zollo said.

“Unfortunately, we see that with some regularity,” Zollo told The Post. “It can really happen in any part of the city. Because, as we all know, there are mice and rats everywhere in New York City.”

She’s not joking. Recent rodent sightings in the city have increased by 70% compared to the same period two years ago – locals have spotted over 21,500 scurrying creatures, up from 18,601 in 2021.

But Zollo says there’s another possible reason for a high case rate these days.

“We know more people have gotten pets during the pandemic. So there may be a little upside.”

Whatever the reason, the poisonings are devastating for dog owners.

“It was heartbreaking,” Edwards said. “I’ve never had so much love from a pet in my life.”