The Animal Protection Society in Vailima has put out an alert after multiple cases of dog poisoning were reported to the clinic specifically with the use of the weedkiller, Paraquat.

The APS Samoa has warned dog owners to avoid spraying the “one-day” weed killer that contains Paraquat and instead use an alternative if they must. 

“APS has multiple cases every week of poisoning that is often because the family has sprayed Paraquat and the dogs have accidentally ingested the toxin,” said the vet clinic. 

“Most times nothing can be done to save them, causing heartbreak to the family and our clinic staff. If you are unsure what weed killer you are using look at the active ingredients listed on the bottle.”

A.P.S. pointed out that people can save themselves a lot of pain and their health by switching to an alternative. chemical which is friendlier to the animals. 

Dog owners have come out in support of A.P.S’s message urging the Government to ban Paraquat. 

Other dog owners say that their dogs were deliberately poisoned by people using the hazardous chemical to make it easier for culprits to steal from them.  

In the past, statistics show that about 70 per cent of suicide cases were linked to ingesting Paraquat. 

Supreme Court Senior Justice, Vui Clarence Nelson also made a similar appeal to ban the weedicide revealing this as part of a Coroner’s Court report released in 2023. 

The Senior Justice said the longer it takes to ban the hazardous chemical the more lives are at risk of being lost. 

He said looking at how far technology has developed over the years, there are now safer alternatives available than the toxic weed killer.

“It’s a growing problem and there is not enough done by the Ministry and the Government to address this issue on paraquat and it is time we to do something about it," said Justice Nelson. “The fact that they have now identified it as a danger to animals but it also leeches into the soil and gets into our ecosystem, into our food and it’s a terrible, toxic poison.

“I wish people could stop referring to it as a 'weed killer' and call it poison because that’s what it does – it poisons the plant and everything else. We want people to think of it in the proper terms because it doesn’t just kill weeds, it kills all the good bacteria, the bugs, the nutrients, therefore it is a poison.”

The Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O.) for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Seuseu Tauati said the Ministry has been working on a few activities with FAO last year on this matter.

However, the C.E.O. asked for more time to clear the backlog of work before he could sit down and discuss the update on the issue raised.