Grand Junction dog dies due to strychnine

Associated Press
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
March 25, 2008

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado - Grand Junction authorities are trying to locate the source of the lethal poison strychnine, blamed for the death of a man's pet dog.

Lower Valley Fire Protection District Chief Frank Cavaliere says the unidentified man reported that his dog came home with a package of meat, and that the dog later became ill.

The man took the dog to a veterinarian's office, where it died. The vet attributed the death to strychnine.

Fire officials from Lower Valley and Grand Junction are trying to learn if the strychnine came from 30 pounds of meat, found in an old freezer on private property.

Cavaliere says if that was the source of the poison, the meat might've been used as coyote bait.

Wildlife officials say letting dogs run loose elevates the risk of exposure to such bait.