OSAKA -- A pet dog died Thursday after licking a powdery substance in a park in Osaka's Hirano Ward, and the dog's owner and a policeman suffered throat pain after handling the substance and were temporarily hospitalized, police said Friday.
Police have identified the powder as an agricultural pesticide. Because the chemical is often used to kill stray dogs and pigeons, police suspect somebody may have placed poisoned food to kill animals in the park.
The dog owner and police officer were recovering Friday morning.
Local police said the dog began foaming at the mouth and suffered a seizure after licking the substance, scattered on dried noodles, at around 5:05 p.m. and later died.
The dog's owner, a 60-year-old woman, wrapped the substance in a handkerchief and took it to a police station. After she explained to a policeman at the park what had happened, the two returned to the police station, where they complained of throat pain.
They are believed to have inhaled the powder when they carried it. They were briefly hospitalized Thursday to undergo tests, police said.
The park is located about 200 meters east of Nagahara Station on the Tanimachi Line of the Osaka city-run subway.