Land managers – including local councils – are not required to provide any warning, either before or after pesticide application has taken place. It is therefore impossible for pet owners to avoid treated areas and our pets may inadvertently eat, walk, play or lay down on grass or ground that has recently been sprayed with pesticides.
Symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning (single incident exposure) in cats and dogs can include vomiting, diarrhoea, drooling, irritation to the skin or eyes, chemical burns, breathing problems, lethargy, disorientation, seizures and even death. While instances of acute pet poisoning are sometimes studied and recorded, there is almost no research on the long-term, chronic effects on pets’ health of regular, ongoing direct exposure to pesticides that have been linked to diseases in humans such as cancer. For more information please see here.