Dunedin Land Search and Rescue chairman Jamie Hughes said a team of about 35 members would do a grid search for the baits on Tuesday night, as part of its training, and remove them if any were found.
‘‘As a dog owner, I was pretty concerned for my dogs, and it jumped to my mind because I walk along there quite a lot.
‘‘Since the incident, people have definitely been avoiding walking their dogs in the area, just out of fear that there might still be some more poison lying around there somewhere.
‘‘So it is definitely a concern.’’
He said the primary objective was to put the team through some search and rescue training, and at the same time help allay fears that there might still be some remnants of the poison.
‘‘It’s good training for our guys, and it just so happens that it has a by-product of public good.
‘‘We can’t guarantee that we’ll get everything, but hopefully we’ll make it a little bit safer.’’
Mr Hughes urged members of the public to keep clear of the grid search, for health and safety reasons.
Earlier this week, Dunedin dog owners were being urged to take their dog to a vet if they had been walking off-lead in the area, to check they had not consumed the poison.
They were also encouraged to keep an eye out for ‘‘greeny-blue’’ matchbox-sized rat bait cubes along the picturesque public walkway.
The Dunedin City Council confirmed the bait came from one of its bait stations, which had been vandalised.
Several dogs were treated by Dunedin veterinarians last weekend after eating the poison which was left scattered around a rubbish bin near the 300m mark along the route.
The incidents ‘‘absolutely horrified’’ the dog owners, who believed someone may have done it intentionally.
Fortunately, all of the reported poisoned dogs had recovered after treatment.
Vets@StClair veterinarian and owner Dr Sarah Stephen said most rat baits had a characteristic green/blue colour, but dogs and cats had poor colour vision and might mistake it for food.
They also contained anticoagulants, which caused dogs to die from internal bleeding.
Symptoms included weakness and the dog might be cold, their gums might be pale, and sometimes they had nose bleeds or blood in their urine or faeces.
It could take several days for a dog to show symptoms after eating the poison and it was lethal if left untreated, she said.
