Raw meatballs laced with rat poison found in park

Pet-owners warned after dog is treated for poisoning

Boulder, CO (KDVR) -- The Boulder County Sheriff's Office is investigating reports of people finding several raw meatballs containing rat poison at a park in Gunbarrel, northeast of Boulder.

The sheriff's office believes the poisoned meatballs found in a park were left for pets to eat. Several meatballs were found and removed, but there could be more.

At least one dog was treated by a veterinarian, the sheriff's office said. Matt Booth of Alpenglow Veterinarian Clinic in Boulder said, through the sheriff's office, that symptoms in pets would include be lethargy, decreased appetite, pale gums, difficulty breathing and unexplained bleeding or bruising. The symptoms might take two to three days to show.

Booth recommends pets should be taken to a vet if there is a chance the poison has been consumed because it might be too late after symptoms start to show.