There has been an increase in animal poisonings in Cyprus This si an ongoing problems and efforts are being made to create a system where people who do poison animals will be punished, but to date this has proved ineffective,

There are various forms of poison, including rat poison and lanate (a neurotoxin). These are put in food. There are antidotes available for both these, but with lanate it is a matter of minutes until it is too late. We have the antidote kit at home, just in case...to buy us time to get the vet if anything should ever happen.

There is also a new poison (banned in EU and USA, but illegally smuggled in from the Turkish Cypriot border) called carbofuran. This comes in granules which sting the animal's feet when they step on it...and when they lick their paws the tiny dose of ingested poison kills them. There is no antidote.

Anyway, Bella is generally very good at leaving scraps that we encounter on our walk alone. Her walks are mostly off lead, but we also do road walking.

But she is not 100%. I always have treats on me, and if I ask her to leave it n time she will in exchange for a treat... but I don't always spot it before her...and even though she does drop on command - it would be too late if she had already licked poisoned meat.

I have been considering getting a muzzle for her until poisonings seem to settle down again. It is never 100% safe, but I am a member of certain groups which notify pet owners of the location of latest poisonings...and lately things have been much worse.

I have some questions...what kind of muzzle would allow her to open her mouth to pant/ drink etc. I know basket muzzles are best, but is there a particular kind that is extra comfortable and allows extra mouth movement?

Will I still be able to give her treats through the muzzle? She has great recall, but I want to be able to reward her occasionally. She also had huge problems with fast moving/ big vehicles when she was younger (she is a rescue found on a highway). she is fine now but I always reward her with a treat for staying calm while the vehicle passes. So I would to be able to give her treats both for on lead and off lead walks.

I am not sure I will go ahead with the muzzle idea, but it is a consideration... any input would be greatly appreciated.

What a horrible situation to be in. Do you have to stay there? I'd be on the next boat away.

A muzzle could save Bella's life and is unlikely to do any harm. She'd be unable to defend herself from attack by another dog, but being little she would be at similar risk without a muzzle on as well. Definitely a basket type. With the tube type they can still eat small things.

You can give treats through a muzzle - I've seen it done at training class (a border collie that would attack his owner, unmuzzled the guy would have been in hospital). You'd have to select treats that fit through the slots, and that were long enough for her to get hold of with her teeth. Thin strips of whatever.

What a crappy situation I'd certainly be using a muzzle for safetys sake in this sort of situation. You definitely want a basket type muzzle for exercise, the ones that hold a dogs mouth shut are only suitable for things like vet visits. I used a regular Baskerville muzzle for Rupert for a few years, then when that died I got a metal one with leather straps. The Baskerville Ultra are supposed to be very good and easier to get treats through than the regular Baskerville. Greyhound muzzles are recommended by a lot but I think Bella may be a bit small for one.

Jean Donaldson gets conditioned emotional response while fitting Gentle Leader - YouTube
That's for a gentle leader but that's basically how I introduced the muzzle to Rupert (and to several of his dog friends at class whose owners said their dog would never tolerate a muzzle )

This is a problem in Greece, Spain, Italy and most of the Mediterranean actually.

Up until 10 years ago, dogs as pets were unheard of. They were all outside in tiny cages and never walked etc. This still happens but has become a minority. We finally have some sort of organisation for animal welfare protection and small steps are being made in the right direction.

We lost our cat to poisoning 15 years ago She was mostly an indoor cat, but one morning she went out, was late coming home, and we found her outside with foam coming out of her mouth, unconscious - it was too late I refuse to get another cat since.

With dogs, at least if something happens, I will be there at the time to act immediately - I know many dogs have been saved.

But yes...it is a situation beyond horrible Makes me ashamed to be human...and makes hate the 'things' - can't really call them human - who do this.

My previous dog Nelson never wore a muzzle. He was extremely good at not picking up food though, even if I didn't see it before him.
Bella is 99% good. I always avoid areas where I have heard there have been recent poisonings - so I am taking measures against it.

That is a great idea about how to give treats through the muzzle though. could cook chicken breast and tear long strips of it.
I'm just worried that Bella won't enjoy walks with her muzzle on. I will introduce it slowly with treats etc, and give her time to get habituated to it... but I can't see her getting fully used to it

thank you very very much for that

I will look into the baskerville ultra muzzle. hope i can choose the right size if ordering online.

I thought the same to be honest but the muzzle didn't seem to bother Rupert in the slightest. He could still sniff, roll, eat grass if he positioned himself so that it poked up through the slots in the muzzle and do all the other doggy things he enjoyed. It certainly didn't ruin his enjoyment of walks

I think a lot of people just tend to slap a muzzle (or headcollar) on the dog and off they go and then they wonder why the dog creates a fuss about it. I had multiple dogs voluntarily sticking their noses into Ruperts muzzle using the method in the video I linked, they'd happily go through their tricks wearing it too.

the baskerville rubber cage muzzles are great as they can drink, pant fine in them and you can poke stick treats in the side easy enough

it's a good idea if there's a lot of poison around at the mo and hopefully make things a lot safer - the only thing is can be a bit risky if offlead in 'scrubby' areas as can get hooked up

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Watched the video
and also looked at the baskerville muzzles. Bella has a long thing snout and the regular muzzles look like they are better for this... but i don't know - never considered getting a muzzle before.
I might look around local petshops first, and if I don't find anything suitable I will order online.

Thank you so much for your detailed replies - very very helpful!

that does concern me a bit, as she is a short doggie who loves poking her nose into scrubby areas...it would be difficult to spot her but she always comes immediately when called...however if she got trapped because of her muzzle I may not immediately be able to spot her - as I usually follow the moving grass to know where she is

maybe tie a cat bell to it? that way if she ever gets stuck you can follow the jingles

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