A VET has condemned an 'appalling' case of animal cruelty in which someone planted a concoction of pills, kibble and glass along a popular dog walking route.

Oska the border terrier had to be hooked up to a drip after eating the harmful mix while walking in Wootton, near Abingdon.

The four-year-old chomped on dog treats left on the ground near Wootton and Dry Sandford Community Centre, which were harbouring human heart medication and shards of glass.

Vet Julie Hutton, of Hilltop Vets in South Hinksey, treated Oska and said she was 'horrified' by the apparently deliberate attempt to hurt an animal.

Oxford Mail:

She said: "I first thought another dog might have vomited the food and tablets up, but this is human medication. If somebody had dropped the pills on the floor, why would the dog food be there? Then there was the glass, which was just the final nail in the coffin - I can't really see how that combination would have ended up there without intent.

"All our staff were obviously saddened that there is somebody out there who potentially is trying to harm animals.

"It's appalling really, that they wanted to harm innocent pets."

She said the dog's owner retrieved the pills and took them to the chemist for tests, where the discovery was made that the tablets were statins, beta blockers and diuretics.

She said: "It does highlight it being malicious as it's an unusual set of medicines to find."

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Oska ate the tablets on Tuesday last week and his owner immediately thought the substance looked suspicious, and took him straight to the vet.

Ms Hutton and veterinary nurse Anna Currell had to make Oska sick, and made him eat charcoal to get the substance out of his system, before placing him on a drip overnight.

He is now recovering well at home, but his owner wants people to be aware of the potential danger.

She posted a warning about the incident on Facebook last week, which has been shared more than 700 times.

Oxford Mail:

The woman, who asked not to be named, wrote: "This was obviously done deliberately to poison a dog.

"Can’t really say on here what I’d like to about the moron that has done this and we really hope that no other dogs get poisoned - please be careful."

She credited the 'brilliant vets' for their treatment.

Almost 400 comments have been left on the post condemning whoever laid the treats, branding them 'evil' and 'vile.'

One person said: "I am sickened and so angry that there are people in this world who would do that."

Another added: "There are some sick-minded monsters out there who get satisfaction from harming defenceless animals."

One woman said her son had seen a similar pile of biscuits near the same community centre last week, and put them in the bin as he thought it looked suspicious.

Another said her pet was 'violently sick' last week after walking in the same spot, but said she was not sure if it was connected.

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Offering advice to pet owners, Ms Hutton said: "Be vigilant - dogs tend to go off into hedgerows and could be snuffling anything.

"Little Oska has a healthy appetite so I suspect he might have hoovered up anything and everything."

She encouraged anyone who sees anything suspicious to collect a sample so it can be tested.

Oska's owner has reported the incident to Thames Valley Police and an appeal for witnesses has been put up in the village, but the force has not yet confirmed if it is investigating.

Oxford Mail:

Oxfordshire has seen several incidents of animal cruelty in recent months.

In April Emma Dowsing mourned the death of her golden retriever Goldie, who became ill after a walk along the Ridgeway between East Hendred and Wantage.

She believes her dog ingested poison which had been laid deliberately to make animals ill.

Earlier that month, horses' bodies were slashed in attacks in Faringdon, and police urged horse owners to install CCTV and be vigilant.

In February an alpaca was killed in Ludgershall near Bicester, after someone cut out its eye in a 'barbaric' attack, while another Ludgershall alpaca was found mutilated in November.

Last year, toxic antifreeze was blamed for killing cats in Marcham, while in 2017, Hart Veterinary Centre in Bicester warned a ‘significant quantity’ of rat poison had been poured over Langford village green.