This morning a sample sachet of lawn treatment came through the letterbox which my dogs got hold of and ate, while Charly was getting dressed upstairs.  There was a warning on the packet of the large sample saying it must not come into contact with the skin.
Consequence is my little jack Russell Milo is now in the vets undergoing treatment for poisoning and Shady I have to keep an eye on for any sign of diarreah and sickness and get her straight to vets if not well.
Please beware of samples that may arrive through your letter box as it could have been a child or a dog or cat got hold of this with awful consequences.
My dogs normally ignore letters so this must have smelt tasty.
I have had the local paper out who are running a warning on it to try and stop it happenning again to anyone.  
I have also contacted the company who said someone would ring me straight back, they havn't  ..

I am fuming as god knows what my vets bill will be especially if Shady ends up ill too.  She has to have a light diet of Chicken tonight if she seems ok, so please lots of good vibes for poor little Milo.

Bev

This is terrible and not the first time that dogs have eaten samples pushed through doors.

I hope Milo will be ok, I can only imagine how upset you are.

Can you subscribe to some organisation that prevents junk mail? I am sure someone will tell us what it is.  Is there anyway the Company can be held responsible?  Afterall, it's not just dogs that are at risk but cats and children as well.

Luckily my dog can't get to the hall area.

Once again, I hope everything turns out ok.

Hope Milo gets well soon. Thanks for posting your experience though. You don't think about what can come through your letter box which can be so dangerous for animals and children alike. It should not be allowed really on health and safety issues.
Hope he well soon.

Thanks for the warning!
Will you investigate further about, perhaps asking them to pay up for your vets bill, and warn the company responsible. They most probably wouldn't want to have caused that to happen, and could maybe address THEIR problem.
I do hope poor Milo is okay, years ago our lab ate ant poison and had to be stomach pumped, that was my fault, it didn't just arrive on the mat,luckily she was okay.
K:rolleyes:

Poor Milo,

What a terrible thing to happen.  I have long since made sure my letters can not be got to, but I guess that is something that company's need to be aware of, I don't know where you would stand with that one, as you did not ask for it to be put through your letter box did you? You may possibly be able to claim against the company.

I hope that Milo makes a full recovery and for goodness sake get one of those letter catchers to prevent it happening again.

I wish your dog a full recovery, you must be so upset, what a nightmare. I'm glad you have warned of this package. I shall keep an eye out for it. (And keep the kids away from it!)

Poor chap, I hope he's better soon. I think you should definitely ask them to pay the vets bill as you didn't ask for them to put rubbish like that through your door!

So sorry to hear this experience Bev! But thank you for sharing it as a warning to others.
Hope Milo has a speedy recouvery Best wishes xxxx

Hoping both dogs are OK very soon......

As for preventing junk mail, you can sign up here:  http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/

They also run a system for preventing sales calls on the phone:   http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/tps/

Hope this helps.

How irresponsible of this company.  I hope your little Milo makes a speedy recovery. x

Poor Milo. Best wishes to you all and hope the little chap is soon on the mend. But what a immensely stupid thing to send through the post because isn't just dogs who chew the mail, small children can be equally interested.

Aww Bev :-( Wishing Milo a speedy recovery

Hope Milo will be ok :)

Poor little Milo
hope he is soon much better what an awful thing to happen you like to think your pets are safe at home but you just never know.
Let us know how he goes on won,t you
Love Sharon

Thanks everyone,  Milo is now home and seems ok as is Shady thank goodness.  Vet said I should send the bill to the company and get them to pay it.
I will be contacting the company again tommorow as I was promised someone high up would be ringing me back very promptly today and they didn't
Warning should be in our local paper tommorow for other people in the area and I will also contact the local radio station and ask them to warn listners.
Its been a horrible worrying day but i am furious that they have distributors to put these toxic, harmful chemicals through peoples letterboxes.

Bev

I'm glad Milo is OK :)

We had the same thing (I think) come through our door today. Something for making your lawn green. Luckily my dog didn't pick it up, but I have sent an angry email to the company anyway.
Good luck in getting them to pay the vet bill

I occasionally get samples of washing powder and, even worse because they're terribly caustic, dishwasher tablets through the letterbox. They're just as bad.

Is there not a law against sending such items as that through your postal system?    Perhaps not though, as your description sounds as though the stuff was clearly labelled as being dangerous and if there is a law the post office should have caught this stuff and refused to handle it.  I'd be asking your post office about it anyway.  A child could have eaten it.

It didn't come through the post.
It was one of those people that just deliver leaflets and samples etc.
It wasn't clearly labelled this warning was in very small print on the inside packaging at the back.

Bev

I'd be minded to report them to your local Trading Standards Department.

Hmmm.  Think I would still start there (Post Office) as there must be stringent regulations regarding the transport of dangerous materials.  Where I live I have a mail box.  It's across the road from my house.  Even though I bought it, put it in, paint it, maintain it, keep the snow away in winter the Post Office claims it's THEIR mail box.  Strictly speaking no one else is supposed to be using that box for the delivery of anything.  It's not enforced of course, but if the same rules apply to your mail slot that would be another factor in your favour. 

AND. there must also be rules and regulations regarding the proper labelling of hazardous goods.  Surely small print, on the inside and at the back doesn't cut it.

I had to take lessons in some of this stuff as part of a work place safety course.  I'm in Ontario, Canada but surely similar rules are in place where you are.

How is poochie today?

I don't think our rules are anywhere near as stringent JJ, since pretty much anyone can bung anything through the letterbox or mailbox for those people that have them. Mailboxes belong to the householder, by the way. Obviously there are rules about what actually comes through the letterbox and dangerous substances certainly aren't expected to arrive, unsolicited, unlabelled and in such an irresponsible fashion. However, if it wasn't delivered by a postman then the Post Office don't have any responsibility for it.

Sorry to confuse.  I didn't mean to blame the Post Office, if it wasn't their doing.  But they might be able to help the owner with regulations and such.  Sounds more like it was the lawn care companies fault and I would not sit around waiting for them to call back.  Unless I was sitting at the Vet's of course.  I'd be livid if that was my poochie girl and just raring for a fight.

Maybe it's worth considering fitting a cage that catches the post so the dogs can't get hold of it?  I was at the point of getting one as one of mine enjoys chewing the post occasionally, but have moved now and we have a box on the gate at the end of the drive, so now the post and the dogs are safe.

Where can you buy the cages to fit inside your door to catch the mail?  Not sure one would fit as my hall gets very narrow and is only door width down the end of the door, so it may hit the wall too quickly and stop the door opening properly.
Can't put anything outside for the mail as living on this estate and where my front door is literally on the pavement, my mail would go walkabouts, before I could get out to get it.

Bev

Argos does them for £7.99 (wire one) and they also have other nice external boxes if your hall is not big enough.

I've got one of the cages and it's a pain up the proverbial!!!  It can only fit so much in and if a magazine is put in then everything else is restricted and I get home quite often with parts of my mail sticking out of the door soaking wet!

Yep we also had a mail thing, trouble is if someone tried to push a paper through the flap fell down and all the post fell on the floor anyway! :rolleyes: The dogs also leart how to open it lol and the flap fell down if you even looked at it!

Hi Bev.  I got one of those samples today tucked in the local free paper, luckly enough I got there first or my two would helped themselves and we could have been visiting the vets as well.  Hope Milo is feeling better.

Finally the company after numerous calls to them got back to me yesterday.  They are going to pay my vets bill and I have discussed in length about the dangers of delivering these samples this way.  I have suggested they deliver coupons that can be redeemed at garden centres or stores for the samples, for those that actually want them or perhaps they stand outside big stores and hand them to people that want them.
They have agreed and are going to look at it, but unfortunatly there are samples out there that will still be delivered so stay on the alert for them.
Luckily my dogs were noticed within 10 mins and Milo treated within 30 mins as I only live across the road from the vets.
Had Milo been an only dog and eaten the whole lot himself it could have been disastrous.
So please don't leave your dogs or cats where they could get one of these samples if it comes through, especially if you are out.

Bev

A sample of lawn feed was delivered through my door yesterday.  Thankfully we had just arrived home with our brand new puppy so retrieved it before he stepped foot inside the house, and our toddler is staying with her grandparents - so no harm done.  Bloomin stupid item to send out to peoples homes though :(

I'm now going to install one of those cages to catch the post in case I get other unsolicited stuff.

Thanks for the warning.

Thanks for the warning.....my dog would do just the same as Milo.       She waits for the postman!!

Saying that there are samples still to be delivered is simply not good enough - they could easily stop all samples being delivered.  There surely must be laws against companies posting potentially harmful substances through your letterbox.

I would be in touch with Trading Standards, the Health and Safety Executive and the national newspapers to name and shame this company - they are being grossly irresponsible.

May be if we all write/phone/email the company to complain?  Or if we all report this to TS?  Many voices are sometimes more effective than a few......

That's great Bev.  Sounds like they ARE an honourable company.  However, I'm a cynic, I know, but maybe a settlement with you is less damaging to them financially than if you continue to investigate whether there are laws disallowing such distribution?  Do you have to sign off on anything to get your Vet bills paid?

Im impresed that they have paid your vet bills.

I was fully expecting them to say 'you have dogs and you are aware that they may chew/eat/destroy things posted through the letter box therefore as you are aware of this risk it is up to you to prevent your dogs from doing so'...... which, as unpleasant as it is, how i expect the courts would see it.

FWIW, i dont think people should post poisonous substances through letter boxes and there should be some legislation to cover it.

Em