A DOG owner has urged others to be alert after his pet ate pellets believed to contain traces of rat poison.

Six-year-old cockerpoo Barny was rushed to the vet where vomiting was induced.

He is none the worse for his ordeal.

But owner Keith Gurney says other dog owners should be on their guard.

He regularly takes Barny for a walk in Tarring Park, Worthing.

On Thursday he caught his pet eating small pellets which had been left in the middle of the park.

Mr Gurney, 67, who lives in Tarring, quickly stopped Barny and took him to Northerdale Veterinary Practice, fearing for his life.

Mr Gurney said: “I was walking Barny at about 8.45am.

“He saw something on the ground and appeared to be eating it. I saw him chewing pellets and They looked suspicious, I thought they could be rat poison.

“I quickly took Barny to the vet as a precaution and the vets induced vomiting in him.”

Mr Gurney, a retired recruitment consultant, said he was relieved Barny was fine.

He said: “I want to remind dog owners to stay alert wherever they are.

“There are many anecdotal stories out there about dogs unwittingly eating something poisonous they found on the ground.

“Looking back, I just find it a bit bizarre why those pellets were there in the first place.

“Barny is part spaniel and they love sniffing around and following a scent.

“Most dogs are scavengers and the more disgusting things they find the more they are interested in them.

“I did a Google search of the pellets I found and the search results revealed they could be rat poison.

“A lot of children play in Tarring Park because there is a playground nearby. So I think something should be done to ensure things like these are not found – it’s so dangerous.”

Northdale Veterinary Practice said it was unable to be 100 per cent sure what the substance Barney ingested was as it was unable to test it.

But it said: “After looking through images from rat bait suppliers we found a substance incredibly similar in physical appearance to that found in Tarring park, and felt the safest course of action was to induce vomiting in Barney.

“The substance found was a Rodenticide Brodifacoum 0.005 per cent bait, rat kill poison.

“We have contacted the dog warden to see if anything further can be done.”

A spokesman for Worthing Borough Council said: "We are aware of a number of reports of dogs becoming ill in recent days after being walked in Tarring Park.

"As a precaution, we will be increasing dog warden patrols in the area and ask that any residents who are concerned about the welfare of animals in this location contact us on 01903 221064 with any information."