Dog sickened by tainted treats in Schaumburg

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (WLS) -- A dog in northwest suburban Schaumburg was sickened by tainted treats in a case that police described as an attempted poisoning.

The treats were apparently tainted with rat poison and placed in the dog owner's back yard. Whoever did it could be charged with animal cruelty and criminal damage to property.

The 11-year-old miniature schnauzer named Popo is blind and diabetic. His owner, Hiro Oshida, can't understand why someone would want him dead.

"It's not human, you know? I don't think he has a human heart," Oshida said.

Oshida says these are the dog treats that were tainted. The green substance suspected to be rat poison was hidden in the soft center.

Oshida says yesterday he found more than a dozen of the treats in his back yard. After Popo ate a handful of them and fell ill, Popo was taken to his vet.

"Rodenticides kill over several days, four to seven days, depending upon the type of rodenticide. They either bleed to death, or they seizure and die," said Dr. Anita Kuhnle, of Arlington Heights Animal Hospital.

Popo was given vitamins and drugs to absorb the toxin, but he'll need daily vet visits for two weeks to ensure the treatment is working.

His owner is still struggling to make sense of it all.

"Why? I don't know. Maybe he barked," Oshida said.

"We checked the area for calls for police service, barking dog complaints and things like that, and we've had none. So if there's a disgruntled neighbor, they certainly haven't been calling the police department about any problem with the dog," said Sgt. John Nebl, Schaumburg Police Dept.

Police are calling this an isolated incident. There have been no reports of similar poisonings in the area.