A DOG walker from Dartford says her three pooches have been poisoned by grit from a town park.

Loretta Mitchell, of Phoenix Place, has described how her Staffordshire bull terriers fell ill after going for walks in Dartford Central Park.

The mother-of-three told News Shopper: “They came back from the park, licked the grit off their paws and poisoned themselves.

“If they weren’t such big, strong dogs it probably would have killed them.

“They’re sleeping all the time and as soon as they wake up they bring up thick yellow bile.”

First to suffer was three-year-old Stanley on the morning of January 20.

Nancy, also three, fell ill the following day and nine-year-old Molly the day after that.

Mrs Mitchell, 43, said her dogs are behaving strangely and has reported the case to Kent County Council.

She added: “It’s like they’re delirious. They’re not eating anything and lost so much weight you can see their ribs.

“All pet owners should be aware, it’s very worrying.”

A spokesman for the Veterinary Poisons Information Service, which offers advice for veterinary professionals on the diagnosis and management of poisoned animals, said the illness is likely to have been caused by rock salt.

She told News Shopper: “It’s the same as table salt, sodium chloride. It’s not good for animals to have too much of it and very poisonous for dogs.

“It can cause tremors, vomiting and can be very nasty.

“In severe cases it can lead to convulsions and kidney failure.”

Donna Lewis, a senior nurse at Parrock Street Veterinary Surgery in Gravesend, urged dog owners to wash their pet’s paws as soon as they get home.

She said: “It can be detrimental to their dog’s health. The salt can cause dehydration and sometimes will also contain anti-freeze which is toxic to dogs and extremely fatal to cats.”

The RSPCA said it has not received any reports of pets being poisoned in Dartford Central Park.

A spokesman for Kent County Council, which is responsible for laying the grit, said it does not contain anti-freeze which has been linked to a number of cat and dog deaths throughout the country during the big freeze.