Pet owners in Sydney’s Inner West are being cautioned following an alarming incident where a dog fell ill after consuming what appeared to be poisoned food at a well-frequented park.

The incident involved Steve Badgery’s beloved eight-year-old English cocker spaniel, William, who unwittingly ingested a sausage containing a suspicious green substance, suspected to be rat or snail poison, at Weekley Park in Stanmore.

“William is quite the foodie, incredibly driven by his love for food,” Badgery shared with 9News, expressing his distress over the situation. “I couldn’t pry the sausage from his mouth,” he added, highlighting the urgency of the incident.

“He loves food, very food driven,” Badgery told 9News.

“I couldn’t get it out of his mouth.” 

Badgery took his dog and a sample of the sausage to Sydney University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, whose staff helped get most of the poison out of his system.

Vets believe he ate up to six pellets of rat bait, which could have led to his death.

”These substances are highly toxic and can be life-threatening for dogs,” Sydney University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital said in a statement.

Nearby residents took it upon themselves to conduct a search of the park for any more laced-sausages and found four more. 

NSW Police, the Inner West Council and RSPCA have been notified. 

Sydney University Veterinary Teaching Hospital is urging pet owners whose dogs have visited the park and eaten anything suspicious to contact their local vet immediately.

Parkgoers are advised to stay vigilant, keep their pet on a leash and prevent them from eating anything off the ground.