An outbreak in Blantyre and other districts has killed over 60 dogs due to liver failure in the past few weeks.
Blantyre Society for the Protection and Care (BSPCA) made the alert, indicating that the deaths were first noted in Blantyre but have now also been reported in other districts which include Lilongwe, Mulanje, and Zomba.
Blantyre SPCA said clinical signs of the outbreak include Jaundice, bruising, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting.
Dogs die within 24 to 48 hours after being infected, the announcement added.
The society said their research on this issue has revealed that liver failure in the dogs is caused by, Aflatoxin which is produced naturally by a mould often found in maize and ground nuts.
“Since many of the dogs that died were fed nsima, the current working theory is that these cases are all stemming from accidental Aflatoxin poisoning from maize meal or madeya,” BSPCA said.
The organisation said it is currently accepting maize meal samples from dogs that have become ill with the aforementioned symptoms and are testing for Aflatoxin to confirm the diagnosis and determine the extent of the outbreak.
The announcement alert concludes with an appeal to dog owners; “If you are feeding maize to your pets we would strongly recommend switching to a different starch such as rice until this outbreak is over.”
By Kondwani Chinele
