An unusual exposure and declining health
Donna and Pete O’Brien believe their dog may have died following exposure to an unidentified orange substance on contaminated land during a walk in December 2019. Their four-year-old dog, Misty, had been running in mud and swamps near Ty Mawr when she emerged covered in what they described as a greasy, oily orange film that stank.
While the couple initially thought the residue might be copper or iron washing down through the landscape, the orange substance stained Misty’s coat for weeks. Soon afterward, the dog began experiencing periodic vomiting and diarrhoea. By 2024, at age nine, Misty’s health had deteriorated further as she began coughing up and expelling blood from her nose.
An ultrasound scan revealed a growth, believed to be a tumour, on her heart, along with potential growths on her stomach and lungs. Misty ultimately died after the heart tumour was discovered, an affliction that affects approximately 0.19% of dogs.
Calls to examine pet medical records
The O’Briens said they connected Misty’s decline to historical chemical dumping after watching a documentary and attending a meeting of the Monsanto Contamination Action Group, where participants described similar oily orange deposits.
Pete O’Brien suggested that because illnesses take longer to develop in humans but progress more quickly in animals, examining pet medical records could help build a picture of how contaminated land and suspected dump sites impact communities. The couple is calling for an examination of pet records to determine if there are clusters of rare illnesses.
Council and authority responses
The concerns were raised at a Wrexham council meeting by councillor Derek Wright, who called for significant changes to the monitoring and management of contaminated sites located near Ty Mawr Country Park. Wright questioned the fencing and signage around the areas and noted that one pond had become a public footpath utilized frequently by families and dog walkers without publicized tests of the lagoon contents.
A spokesperson for Wrexham council stated that investigations indicated the deposits originated from mining activity. The spokesperson added that the area had been inspected alongside Natural Resources Wales and that authorities had liaised with the Coal Authority, leading them to be satisfied that no further action was required.