Possible strychnine poisoning at a park in the Sun Prairie Village area has county health officials warning residents to stay out.

An investigation started after a dog died earlier this week after visiting the park. The dog's liver is being tested in Bozeman, but the results won't be released for a week. Until they know more, health officials are warning residents to keep children and pets away from the park.

Above-ground use of strychnine is illegal, but the chemical is present in some legal underground pest control products. Residents say gophers are a problem in the park, and the area is riddled with holes.

Lifelong resident Echo Guthrie told News Channel 5, "It does make me worried. I worry for all the Moms whose kids do play in the park. And I just kind of hope they figure it out."

Kate Marone from the City-County Health Department said, "Until we know if there's a link or not, we just want to err on the side of caution and make sure that people in the community know that it’s a possibility and not to have their kids play there until we have more information. It's just an extra precaution."
The Health Department told us that inspectors from Cascade County and the USDA inspected the area and found no immediate signs of strychnine pellets. They reportedly filled in some of the holes in the park.

News Channel 5 will have the results of the dog’s liver test as soon as they are released.