Something in a San Francisco park is allegedly causing dogs to foam at the mouth, and residents want answers
Last week, two dog owners reported their pups became sick after visiting Precita Park in Bernal Heights, according to SF Gate. They believed the illness was due to a type of fertilizer sprayed in the vicinity.
The concerned owners contacted District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, both staying in separate emails that after their dogs visited the park, they started vomiting and foaming at the mouth.
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Ronen reached out to the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. The agency stated it has not sprayed any sort of chemicals at the park since last year but is looking into the matter.
“With abundance of precaution, we are still looking into our maintenance activities last week and would welcome any input from the public on any incidents that they might have possibly witnessed and believed to be related,” Rec and Park official Connie Chan said in a statement provided to SF Gate.
Chan added that the agency does not use rodenticide or toxic chemicals at the park and while there was a small roped off area where re-seeding occurred, the grass mix should not affect dogs or people.
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Other dog owners who frequent believe it isn’t the fertilizer, rather they contracted giardia, an infection of the intestine caused by bacteria in moist soil. There is a retaining wall at the park, which keeps the water in.
However some veterinarians state the symptoms aren’t typical of giardia. “It’s not the typical sign that we see from Giardia, but it is a potential sign that we sometimes see,” Dr. Joshua Van Geem of VCA told NBC Bay Area.
Chan said regardless of the cause, there will be a follow up.
“We will be inspecting the Park this week to see if we can identify any potential hazards that could be related to this incident.”
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