Pet owners in Etobicoke are being warned about contaminated hotdogs left in Centennial Park.

Etobicoke’s Royal York Animal Hospital has received several reports of suspicious food — hotdogs stuffed with bright yellow pills — found by people walking their dogs in Centennial Park, in the Eglinton Ave.-Renforth Dr. area.

The veterinary service this week posted photos of the pill-stuffed hot dogs on their social media site with a warning asking people to use caution while outdoors.

The Instagram post reads:

“One of our clients found these hotdogs filled with pills in their own backyard. We have also had reports of suspicious food being found in parks and on walks.

“This was found in the Centennial Park area. If you suspect that your dog has eaten anything on a walk, seeking immediate veterinary attention can help save your pet.

“Luckily this owner saw these and their pet is doing great.”

As one person responded to the post, “What if a child found these?”

It seems Toronto pet owners get poison alerts like this one on a regular basis. Sometimes the alerts come after a deadly result — like last year’s warning in Markham when a dog ate poisoned food and died in May.

Markham had another poisoned food scare just last month in the area of Royal Orchard Park, near John and Yonge Sts.

Downtown pet owners were on high alert In February after a notices were issued about poisoned peanut shells in Canoe Landing Park (Dan Leckie Way and Fort York Blvd.) and in Victoria Memorial Square, in the Portland-Niagara Sts. area.

And animal lovers will remember a rash of poisonings in the east end in 2019. Police say poison may have been left in a small park in the Queen St. E.-Broadview Ave. area. At least one dog died and others were very sick.

The link between animal cruelty, crime, and psychological disorders is well established. Animosity is the usual motivation for leaving poisoned food in public places for random animals, although profound ignorance is one other possible explanation.

From Liz Braun, Toronto Sun.