At least three dogs in Spokane, Wash., have recently died from eating meatballs poisoned with strychnine. According to KOMOnews.com, investigators believe two of the dogs died when they ate meatballs that had been thrown over a fence into their backyard.

Several more meatballs were found on neighborhood streets. Their blue-green tint indicated they contained rat poison, which causes an animal’s organs to hemorrage. The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the poisonings.

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center offers the following tips for protecting your pets from malicious poisoning. (more…)