Hi all - just seen this on the BBC website


Woodland alert after dog deaths
Warning signs have been put up in Nottinghamshire woodland after at least three dogs died and five others were taken ill.

Tests are being carried out on the animals, which had been on Forestry Commission land near Sherwood Forest.

Vets believe poisoning is the most likely cause but said the source could be natural.

Owners have been advised to keep dogs on a lead in Haywood Oaks, Blidworth Woods, Sherwood Pines and Thieves Wood.

Natural England, which is carrying out the tests, said investigations were ongoing but searches of the area had not revealed any obvious cause.

'Severely ill'

A number of other animals were taken ill but have since recovered and the Forestry Commission said they had received reports that more animals had died.

Cheri Fearn, from Sutton in Ashfield, said her Patterdale terrier Bracken died "howling in pain" and her puppy Misty was seriously ill.

She said: "They were being sick, they had diarrhoea, they were going off their back legs and basically were not right.

"We took them to the vets who admitted them straight away and gave them antibiotics and sedatives to calm them down and take away the pain as their bodies swelled in pain."

Vet Jon Ruben said: "They were very severely ill, partially collapsed, semi-comatosed and breathing with great difficulty.

"It is probably a poison but we have no idea what, particularly as the dogs were not seen to eat anything and nothing obvious was vomited up."

There's a thread about this in the BFA boards. Apparently, sandringham woods is also affected and a vet has said not to walk dogs there and that it could possibley be a squirrel virus? Apparently one dog dead and another seriously ill along with other animal deaths.