There are growing concerns from residents in Scarborough that the beach there is making dogs ill.
Leader of the Fisherman’s Association James Cole, 52, says that there has been an increase in sightings of dead animals since work has begun on expanding the port town of Teesport in North Yorkshire and a number of dogs who have walked on this part of the beach have become ill.
On January 12, a warning had been issued to pet owners after over 150 dogs became ill, all of them having recently been taken on walks on the East Coast of Scarborough, Yorkshire Live reports.
Brogan Proud, a vet who runs the Yorkshire Coast Pet Care Facebook page, told Yorkshire Live: "I work within several practices up and down the North East coast and we have recently been inundated with dogs coming off the beaches with vomiting and diarrhoea.
"Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any correlation other than contact with the beach so maybe ensure they don’t eat anything on the beach and wash them off if they’ve been to the beach in case it is a toxin or similar.
"Personally until the local authorities have got to the bottom of it I would not recommend taking your pets on the beach for the foreseeable future.
"I have been in touch with governing bodies and they are currently looking into it.”
It has not been proved that there is any connection to the beach and the illness of pets, however concern in the community is growing among pet owners, particularly as the dogs affected only went on a single walk to the coast.
Many dog owners have come forward sharing photos of their pets being taken ill after walking on the beach.
One dog owner, Shelly Anderson, said: “My six-month-old Lab has had horrendous diarrhoea for the past four days, thankfully he’s now almost back to his usual self.“
“I was going to contact the vets today if there was no improvement. We have walked on both the beach at Robin Hoods Bay and the railway line at Bay / Thorpe .”
Another Facebook page, Best Days Out in Yorkshire, has also advised residents to take extra caution if walking dogs in the area.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
