FORKS — Four dogs have died after ingesting poison in the Elk Valley Road area outside of Forks.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office is looking for the source of the poison.
The dogs in the neighborhood northeast of Forks died during a 10-day period from March 8-17, and a cat went missing during the same period of time, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian King.
The deaths and disappearance were reported to the Clallam Sheriff’s Office last Monday.
King said investigators don’t know if the poisonings were intentional or accidental.
Death by antifreeze
One dog died of confirmed kidney failure at a local veterinarian hospital.
Another dog was found to have crystals in its urine before its death, which a veterinarian said was consistent with poisoning by antifreeze, King said.
King said all four dogs regurgitated the same dog-food-type material before their deaths.
“It could be a garbage dump site with antifreeze — it could be carelessness,” he said.
A fifth dog died of unknown causes in the area in August, but King said it was not known whether the death was related to the current pet deaths.
The Sheriff’s Office is urging pet owners in the area to keep their animals confined on their properties or otherwise under their control.