THE owners of Tibetan terrier Izzy have been through a worrying time.

The dog showed symptoms of poisoning after a walk on Avon Beach and her owners fear she swallowed palm oil washed up in recent storms.

Palm oil is already controversial. Its production has been blamed for threatening endangered species such as the orang-utan and the Sumatran tiger.

And although Christchurch council points out there has been no confirmation of the oil on its beaches, we would all do well to think more often about the products that can end up in our environment.