Dog owners in SF were warned after possibly poisoned meatballs were left on city streets. (CBS) Dog owners in SF were warned after possibly poisoned meatballs were left on city streets in 2013. (CBS)

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — San Francisco police said two dogs had to go to the emergency room after ingesting possibly poisoned meatballs in the city’s Twin Peaks and Diamond Heights neighborhoods.

Police said a number of poisoned meatballs were found along streets in that area, and warned dog owners to be careful.

On Wednesday, about 8:30 a.m., a dog ingested one of the cooked meatballs while being walked by its owner, police said. The dog became very sick and was taken to a veterinarian for treatment.

Dorothy Schechter was out for a walk when she noticed her dachshund Oskar picked something up off the street. She said as soon as they got home, he got ill.

“The next thing we know, he started to seize and his back went up. I grabbed him and went to the vet.”

The vet, Dr. Carrie Jurney, said what Oskar had picked up was a meatball laced with the poison strychnine and is warning other dog owners in the neighborhood. “The most important thing this weekend is to keep your dog on a leash. We have a great off-leash dog community in San Francisco, but this weekend, with this going on, it’s not the time,” Jurney said.

Dr. Jurney said she expects Oskar, who was in an induced coma, to survive.