Tammy Perkins’ dog, Winnie, a 3-year-old Rottweiler, is still in treatment after being poisoned sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Courtesy photo

Altoona police are seeking the public’s help in finding a suspect who is intentionally poisoning dogs in the Fairview area after one pet died from consuming antifreeze-soaked bread.

In a post on their Facebook page, Altoona police stated “within the last several days” they became aware of an unidentified person throwing “items in yards that have poisoned some pets.” They said this was occurring within a several block radius of 25th Avenue and 12th Street.

“Unfortunately, one (pet) has passed,” the post stated. “Please be aware of items that may be on your property that are foreign and hazardous.”

According to Brad Kissell, a veterinarian with the Sylvan Veterinary Hospital, studies have refuted that animals are attracted to ethylene glycol — the chemical primarily used as antifreeze — because of its sweet taste. He said animals will only willingly ingest ethylene glycol “under water deprivation” or if it’s hidden inside another component, such as bread.

“Dogs and cats don’t willingly drink it if there are non-contaminated sources,” Kissell said. “In this particular situation, they were enticing the animal to eat it with the bread.”

Tammy Perkins’ dog Winnie, a 3-year-old Rottweiler, was one such dog poisoned sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

“My son alerted me that his friend’s dog was poisoned this past weekend in the Fairview area,” Perkins said. “I didn’t think much of it, but when Winnie woke me up at 4 a.m. throwing up, I started to worry.”

Perkins contacted Winnie’s veterinarian and told them about the poisoning.

“He met me at his office right away,” Perkins said. “At least now she has a fighting chance because I learned of the other dog that died — otherwise I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.”

Tests done at the vet’s office came back positive for antifreeze, confirming “that someone intentionally did this,” Perkins said.

While Winnie is “hanging in there,” she’s “not out of the woods completely yet,” Perkins said. Winnie is currently being treated with intravenous ethanol every four hours.

“I cannot wrap my head around the fact that people could do this,” Perkins said.

Kissell said vets will treat ethylene glycol by giving animals grain alcohol like vodka, as the medication fomepizole — which is used specifically to combat antifreeze or methanol poisoning — is hard to keep on hand.

The alcohol “binds the enzyme” in ethylene glycol and prevents it “from being metabolized” into its toxic form, Kissell said.

He cautioned pet owners to keep their dogs leashed and confined to prevent them from eating unknown substances.

APD’s post also asked the public to check their cameras “for anyone suspicious.” Anyone with information is asked to call 814-949-2499 and ask to speak with Animal Control Officer Mark Williams.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.