Warning to Billings Pet Owners! Reports of Attempted Poisonings.

There have been stories circulating around town about dogs being poisoned in Yellowstone County over the past couple of months, with one local woman sharing what she found in her yard.

According to a post on the Lost and Found Pets of Billings MT Facebook page from Megan Bianco, a hot dog that is stuffed with what is believed to be aspirin was found in her yard off 23rd Street on the North Side of Billings.

In the social media post, Megan said she doesn't have dogs but is surrounded by neighbors who do and has heard this attempted poisoning has been happening in other parts of our community.

Credit: Megan Bianco via Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=5312012828809115&set=gm.4806477032804513

Another comment on the Facebook post from Hollie Ewell said she also found "a hotdog stuffed with Tylenol" in her yard off of State Avenue, but was able to retrieve it before her dogs could get to it.

Billings Police dispatch was notified of the incident, according to the post.

Just last month (January 2022), Yellowstone County Animal Control sent out an alert about dogs falling ill and sudden, unexplained deaths in our area. They were encouraging pet owners to keep a close eye on their animals until more information on the matter was available.

In Idaho, there were reports earlier this month of hot dogs laced with ibuprofen being placed along hiking trails near Pocatello.

If your dog has had a similar experience in the past 4 months, or if you have any information regarding this matter, please contact the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office at (406)256-2929 and request Animal Control Officer Smith. You may also email the department at ycso@yellowstonecountymt.gov

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.