Hawera woman's 'babies' may have been poisoned using antifreeze

Theo and Bella were inseparable.

Deanna Parsons considered her dogs her babies.

The Hawera woman was devastated to have to put down her bichon-shitzu dogs on Wednesday, after both suffered stage four acute kidney failure. The cause is suspected to be antifreeze poisoning.

Theo, 9, and Bella, 7, were the only dogs she has had and she treated them like family.

The dogs looked sick on Tuesday and Parsons took them to an after-hours vet on Tuesday night. They had to be euthanised on Wednesday.

"They were the kindest and most beautiful dogs I've ever seen. Their hearts were filled with so much love for not just each other but everyone around them," Parsons posted on Facebook in a tribute.

"This is now a warning that some heartless person had come onto my property and given my dogs some form of poison and with this they have passed away. Please share this to as many people you can to let dog owners know this cruel heartless person is out there. The police have been advised and I hope they catch you."

She believes the poisoning was a random attack and remembers hearing noises outside her home a few days ago.

Less than two days later, the dogs were dead.

Theo and Bella had the "perfect love story", Parsons said, and always looked out for each other. Her flatmate Erena Herewini says it was a cruel, slow death for the dogs and is warning people to keep an eye on their pets.

"Just keep your babies safe. If you're taking them outside to go toilet, stay with them," she said.

She has paid for an autopsy to confirm what happened to her babies. Police are also waiting on the autopsy report before investigating.

No other recent cases of antifreeze poisoning have been reported in the area.