Two-year-old girl dead after eating dog treat that was poisoned

Social media posts suggest that neighbour was attempting to silence barking family pet

A two-year-old girl has died after eating a dog treat that was poisoned (Facebook/Notipuebla)

A two-year-old girl has died after eating a poisoned dog treat that was reportedly thrown towards her family’s barking pet.

Heidy Valeria experienced two respiratory arrests on Thursday in Tototlan in the state of Jalisco in central-western Mexico, according to The Sun.

The toddler ate part of the supposedly poison-laced cookie, prompting her to be taken to hospital on 1 February. Council General Secretary Epigmenio Carrillo said the cause of death remains unconfirmed, but that the family dog also had similar issues.

According to news site Telediario, Heidy passed away after two days in the hospital.

“The truth is, the news has shocked the whole town. In fact, social media erupted when it became known what had happened,” an area resident said.

Tototlan residents said in social media posts that the girl had been poisoned by a neighbour who had intended to harm the family dog, an allegation Secretary Carrillo couldn’t confirm, adding that authorities would announce the facts of the case once they have been established.

The secretary also said that another child, aged six, had also been taken to hospital because of intoxication stemming from a substance that hasn’t been identified. It’s unclear if the cases are related.

“We lost Valeria, we lost a two-year-old girl, because of some unscrupulous characters who threw poisoned cookies in Tototlan, Jalisco. Those guys should be in jail,” activist and influencer Arturo Islas Allende said, according to The Sun.

When the child began to feel unwell, her mother took her to the Municipal Civil Protection Unit.

“Unfortunately, the prompt action of Civil Protection at the time ... was not enough,” Mayor Juan Carlos Vázquez Coyul said according to MEAWW.