A dog needed emergency veterinary treatment after eating potentially toxic palm oil it found on Weston-super-Mare beach.
Rhiannon Fretter was out walking her beloved three year-old Shihtzu Tilly on the beach on New Year’s Eve when she caught her eating palm oil, which can be toxic to animals.
Tilly had found the palm oil while walking on the sands in between the Seaquarium and the car park at the Uphill end of the beach.
Rhiannon, 36, from Worle, was alerted to the fact that Tilly was eating the palm oil by two other dog walkers.
“We were walking along and Tilly stopped and started to eat something,” said Rhiannon.
“She often tries to do this with seaweed and I have to stop her.
“I tried to pull her away but she ran off from me thinking it was a game.
“It was then that other walkers said it was palm oil and it could be toxic to dogs.”
Rhiannon managed to get Tilly back on to her lead and quickly Googled the white lumps to confirm it was palm oil before calling her vets.
She then rushed Tilly to the practice where she was given an injection to make her sick, put on an IV drip and given liquid charcoal and kept in overnight.
“I had never heard of palm oil before and Tilly had managed to eat a fair few pieces,” said Rhiannon.”
Tilly is still on medication and is recovering at home.
“There was quite a bit of it on this part of the beach and I want to make people aware of it being there and how toxic it can be,” said Rhiannon, a nanny.
“I would also encourage other dog walkers to take a carrier bag with them when they are out so they can pick it up if they see it so dogs cannot eat it.”
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil used in food, toiletries and as a biofuel, and by ships to clean fuel tanks.
It can be legally discarded by ships, but when washed ashore it can be contaminated with bacteria.
Palm oil can have a laxative effect and, if eaten, can cause sickness, diarrhoea, dehydration and, in extreme cases, pancreatitis.
It can also cause blockages in the gut due to its semi-solid state.
The problem isn’t the palm oil itself, but it can be contaminated with fuel waste, bacteria and other toxins.
Palm oil can be observed in a variety of forms from large lumps to a scattering of pebble sizes pieces and is waxy in appearance.
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Although it is generally considered to be non-toxic and no danger to humans, elsewhere in the country there have been reports of dogs becoming ill after ingesting the substance.
Anyone who spots palm oil on the beach should call North Somerset Council.
