Celebrity dog nearly dies due to suspected toxic substance on West Sussex beach

Pets As Therapy (PAT) and PTSD assistance dog Scooter – who has appeared on Paw Patrol’s Heroic Hounds Series – is the UK’s only surf therapy canine.

The Portuguese rescue’s owner Kirstie Martin has spoken out to warn other dog walkers about the ‘very real risk’ of palm oil and other toxins – after Scooter had a frightening ordeal.

Kirstie explained: “Scooter nearly died this weekend after a walk on Bracklesham Beach, East Head and round Medmerry during the preceding 24 hours.

“On Sunday afternoon he suddenly started being sick, had diarrhoea then started having several seizures. He was rushed to Arun Vets who managed to save his life.

“They said it was lucky we were at home or he would probably have died.

“He was critically ill and had to stay in overnight but luckily pulled through.

“I shared the story on a local Facebook page and it seems this is becoming a regular occurrence recently, with palm oil being found on our beaches being the likely culprit.

"Do the council need to erect warning signs on our beaches? Do the council need to patrol the beaches to spot this stuff and pick it up?

“The foreshore office was closed down last year so not enough patrolling is being done.”

Scooter is on the mend but it cost £2,265 to save him after the suspected poisoning – money Kirstie and her family ‘don’t have laying around’.

A Chichester District Council spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear that the lady’s dog has been so poorly, and we are glad that he is on the mend.

"We recently issued warnings after spotting a few patches of very small white specks on our beaches, which may have been palm oil.

"Due to its size, and the fact that it was mixed in with the shingle on the beach, we were unable to remove it, and it had dissolved by the weekend.

"We carry out inspections along the nine miles of foreshore that the council is responsible for, and issue warnings where appropriate, as we did in this particular case.

“The foreshore service is not, and has never been, a designated rescue service. We want to assure residents and visitors that this is delivered by HM Coastguard and the RNLI Search and Rescue Service.”

Sussex World reported that the toxic substance palm oil was found on beaches in West Sussex in February.

Arun District Council said dog owners are advised to keep away as it can be harmful to dogs, but ‘poses no other threat’, adding: “The Solent Coastguard sent a rescue team out this afternoon and have confirmed there is a large amount of palm oil along our the coast lines."

Meanwhile, Worthing Borough Council said its coastal office team has received reports from residents of there being ‘small amounts of what looks like palm oil on Worthing Beach’.

"There doesn’t appear to be a huge amount of the substance washing up on our coastline, but it could still be a problem for dogs and wildlife if ingested,” a council statement read.

"Please be on the lookout for a white and waxy substance if taking your dog for a walk along the beach."

Kirstie explained the effect palm oil had on Scooter.

She said: “He just started having these seizures and collapsed to the floor. It was just like a human seizure, he was thrashing about, his eyes rolled around the back of his head. They'd last a few seconds, then he'd snap out of it, but he'd go back into it again and just collapse on the floor.

"It was absolutely terrifying. He's still having some more charcoal treatment to make sure that we've got everything out of the system.

"I just put a post up on the the local Facebook page and I’ve been inundated with people messaging saying how there's been quite a few dogs being taken ill on our beaches.

“I want people to know what palm oil looks like and what it can do. Look out for your dogs sniffling around off the lead – you don't know what they're eating.

"The signs to look out for are diarrhea, vomiting and then seizures. If this happens, get them to the vets as soon as possible.

“I've got two dogs and the other one wasn't affected but I might have to buy them muzzles to wear on the beach.

“We're so lucky to live somewhere where we've got all these amazing beaches, that are dog friendly, but you can't trust what your dog's going to scavenge.”

Kirstie explained that Scooter is more than just a pet dog to her.

"He’s really important to me and we go everywhere together,” she said. “He's a lifeline to me.

“He's a rescue dog from Portugal and the day this happened was his ninth gotcha day. He was chucked out on the streets of Portugal when he was a puppy and he was put up for adoption. I saw him and fell in love with him nine years ago.

"He’s been the UK’s only surf therapy dog for the last six or seven years and he's been my assistance dog for the last five years.

"I'm an ex-Met Police officer and I was medically discharged with complex PTSD. Scooter is a fully trained assistance dog and he goes everywhere with me.”

Scooter is trained to recognise when Kirstie is having a panic attack and is able to ‘bring me out from disassociated states’.

Kirstie added: “He gives me confidence to be able to go out on my own, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it.

"He's quite well known in the area. He's got his own children's book and he volunteers with the The Wave Project (The Surf Therapy Charity).

"He has more than 7,000 Instagram followers and been on numerous TV shows including Paw Patrol.

"He visits the children's ward at St Richard’s Hospital once a week as well to cheer up the children. He's a bit of a legend.”

You can follow Scooter on Instagram at @scooter_surf_therapy_dog or find out more at www.scootersurftherapydog.co.uk.