Police are investigating and residents are on the alert after meat laced with poison was discovered on a New South Wales Central Coast beach and in nearby parkland.
The alarm was raised when Minnie the cavoodle became unwell after eating a bait she found on the beach.
"I went to see what she was eating," owner Catherine Hyland said.
"A few pieces had broken off that looked brownish in colour on the outside.
"But when I looked at it closely, it was brilliant blue and I thought, 'This isn't right.'"
On the way home, Ms Hyland took the pieces to a hardware store at Umina, where she was told it was bait and was advised to take her dog straight to the vet.
"Within the hour of her eating the bait she … vomited up a fair amount of blue," Ms Hyland said.
Minnie was eventually admitted to a local animal hospital where testing indicated the substance was probably rat poison because her blood clotting levels were so low.
Minnie then underwent a plasma transfusion.
"I was really shocked when the blood results came back and they were so abnormal," Ms Hyland said.
"They had a reading of four times what they should have been," she said.
"It has been stressful and heartbreakingly sad."
Police investigating
Two weeks before Minnie became sick, Pearl Beach Progress Association president Karina Stafford said a dead domestic cat had been found at the southern end of the beach.
A dead snake was also found, but not much was made of the discoveries.
After Minnie ended up in the vet hospital, however, baits started to be found in the area.
"We found loads of baits where the grass meets the sand, which is also where kids play," she said.
"All along that end of the beach we found a huge number of baits."
Police have confirmed they are investigating the matter.
In NSW the maximum penalty for an individual found guilty of poisoning an animal is $22,000, imprisonment for two years, or both.
Ms Hyland said Minnie was back home and recovering.
"To say I'm relieved is an understatement," she said.
Ms Hyland's vet bills have topped $5,000.
Central Coast Council was alerted about the "distressing incident" on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson said in a statement.
"The baits may have been placed deliberately and, as such, council has reported the incident to the Environment Protection Authority as the appropriate agency that administers and enforces the Pesticide Act," they said.
"Council can confirm that no council baiting programs have been undertaken at Pearl Beach."
