Southern Cross Pet Insurance has reminded pet owners to be more attentive when walking their dogs in coastal areas, with warmer ocean temperatures causing an increase in jellyfish and pufferfish numbers in New Zealand.
According to the insurer, these types of sea creatures can be extremely harmful for pets – a single lick of a pufferfish could lead to a dog ingesting a potentially fatal toxin.
“With water temperatures rising, we are seeing more and more claims for animals who have had contact with these poisonous fish,” said Kerri Murray, Southern Cross Pet Insurance sales manager. “They usually hang around in more tropical ecosystems, but with climate change well and truly making its presence felt, we can say with certainty, more animals will be affected if we don’t keep an eye out.”
Murray said that owners should immediately intervene if their dog gets hold of a pufferfish.
“While a lick can cause problems, it’s worse if your dog swallows the whole fish,” Murray said. “The first step is to remove the fish carefully and rinse the dog’s mouth. It is also worth heading to a vet as soon as possible as the effects might not kick in straight away. Your vet will then assess your dog and make a call on the treatment he or she will likely need.”
Southern Cross said that out of 30 recent claims for ingestion-related issues, 20 were caused by pufferfish and jellyfish. Dogs ended up very sick from the poison or developed serious infections like cellulitis.
Due to their love for food, Labradors and golden retrievers featured strongly in the claims, Murray said.
Aside from pufferfish and jellyfish, Murray also cautioned dog owners about ingesting pesticides, such as rat poison and slug and ant bait.
“Rat bait or poison can obviously make pets very ill or even kill,” Murray said. “Treatment is expensive if you don’t have insurance to cover this and can involve injections, overnight stays, and ongoing medication (e.g. Vitamin K).”
