SPAIN – NEWS/OPINION: It’s been reported that local authorities governing the Costa Del Sol and Costa Blanca areas have sprayed disinfectant solutions against the coronavirus whilst apparently being unaware that it is highly toxic to dogs, cats and other wildlife. Is it also dangerous to humans? It almost certainly is.
It’s been reported that some dogs have been severely injured whilst going for a walk with their owners. Indeed, some dogs have been poisoned to death by this unnamed disinfectant. We don’t have the chemical formula of the disinfectant or its name.
Last Chance Animal Rescue on Facebook have issued a stark warning to dog owners and I hope cat owners last night:
WARNING!!!! Please do NOT walk your dog if the street had been sprayed with the disinfectant! I have just had a call from a lady who walked her dog Thursday night in Estepona and his pads on his front paws are literally peeling off! He licked his paws and is very poorly. Please get this out there.
There have been other reports from Euro Weekly News. One dog has sadly died. Her name is Sadie. First her feet started to burn and her skin peeled. The dog washed herself and ingested the chemical poison. She became delirious and was rushed to the veterinarian and was found to be suffering from liver failure. The veterinarian had no other option but to euthanise Sadie. The owner urged all dog owners in the area to take action and be aware.
There are photographs of wildlife on the street having been poisoned to death by the disinfectant. There is a photograph of a bird (see above) and the report is that birds have been littering the pavements. Birds are feeding as normal on worms on the grass where the grass has been sprayed or the grass bordering pavements and roads has received disinfectant spray against coronavirus. The birds had been poisoned by the worms that they have ingested.
There is a photograph of a rat on the pavement also poisoned by this disinfectant. There is a suggestion by a dog charity worker, Penny Wilkinson, that dogs should wear boots which are available online to protect them from the chemicals on the pavements.
Comment: it appears, to an outsider, to be extraordinarily negligent to spray a toxic disinfectant onto public areas where dogs and cats will be walking. There appears to be no warnings and no assessment as to whether the chemicals in the disinfectant are toxic to animals to the point where they can be killed by it. It appears to have been a rash and hasty decision to do this born out of panic within the local authority because Spain is one of the worst affected countries by Covid-19 with a soaring death rate and where infection rates are continuing to rise in parallel.
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS:
Way to go idiots, making the cure worse than the virus itself. Idiots.
Yes, careless in the extreme based on the reports. Panic and a lack of thought caused it.