Summer Water Safety Alert

Renoman · 06-30-2007, 07:32 AM

This is an email I received this morning and I thought I should share with all of you. Lots of us love to take the dogs to nearby ponds and lakes for swimming during the hot summer days. After reading this I for one will be much more aware of what's in the water.

I am crossposting the following. This is not my dog, but I feel that the warning is very important.

It’s not just pond/lake water.

On Monday, June 25, 2007 I took my healthy 9 month old Border Collie Vita
swimming at approximately 6:30 p.m. Vita and two other BC‘s spent about
an hour and a half diving off the dock, chasing the Water Kong, and running around.
The temperature that day was just over 90 degrees, but none of the dogs
looked particularly winded or hot. Vita emerged from the water and looked as if she was going to vomit. She threw up lake water three times. I wasn't’t particularly concerned as she took in a lot of water from retrieving and swimming so much and had seen other dogs do that in the past without complications.

After the third time throwing up, she lay down and closed her eyes. Her
tongue was hanging out of her mouth and I began to suspect she may have
heat stroke. I immediately placed ice on her stomach and checked her gums.
They were pink. I took her temperature which was 101.9, still normal. I then
called my Vet who said these conditions did not indicate heat stroke and said I needed to get emergency medical attention right away.

Vita was not responsive and when I picked her up to put her in the car she
was limp and her eyes were still closed. Her breathing was slow and her
heart was racing. I arrived at the emergency clinic only a half hour from the
time she showed signs of distress. The ER Vet asked me what sorts of things Vita had been doing all day. I explained that she was crated as I was gone
for the latter part of the afternoon and that upon coming home, the only other place she went was to the lake.

Vita’s eyes were fixed and dilated and the Vet suggested there was already
brain damage. After administering an IV and oxygen, the Vet called me in
and said Vita was not responding and that it appeared that she was suffering
from some kind of toxic poisoning. Her heart rate was 200. He mentioned that
he had recently seen a couple of dogs who died from Blue Green Algae Toxicity. I told him that the lake had what appeared to be algae blooms on the surface of the water. Neither of the other two dogs showed any of the signs that Vita had and that neither dog took in as much water as Vita apparently did. We decided to put her on a ventilator overnight and give her a "chance" to pull through.

When I got home I did a Dogpile.com search of "Blue Green Algae Toxicity in
Dogs" and found some very disturbing information.

-Blooms can occur at any time, but most often occur in late summer or early
fall. They can occur in marine, estuarine, and fresh waters, but the
blooms of greatest concern are the ones that occur in fresh water, such as drinking water reservoirs or recreational waters.

-Some cyanobacterial blooms can look like foam, scum, or mats on the
surface of fresh water lakes and ponds. The blooms can be blue, bright green, brown, or red and may look like paint floating on the water. Some blooms may not affect the appearance of the water. As algae in a cyanobacterial bloom die, the water may smell bad.

-Some cyanobacteria that can form CyanoHABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) produce toxins that are among the most powerful natural poisons known. These toxins have no known antidotes.

-Swallowing water that has cyanobacterial toxins in it can cause acute,
severe gastroenteritis (including diarrhea and vomiting).

-Liver toxicity (i.e., increased serum levels of liver enzymes).
Symptoms of liver poisoning may takes hours or days to show up in people or animals.
Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting.

-Kidney toxicity.

-Neurotoxicity. These symptoms can appear within 15 to 20 minutes after
exposure. In dogs, the neurotoxins can cause salivation and other
neurologic symptoms, including weakness, staggering, difficulty breathing,
convulsions, and death. People may have numb lips, tingling fingers and toes, or they may feel dizzy.

Vita had indeed exhibited salivation and signs of weakness, staggering,
difficulty breathing and vomiting.
At 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 I called the Vet and was told that
they took Vita off the ventilator a couple of times during the night and
that she was not breathing on her own. I told him to discontinue the procedure and to let her go.

I called the DNR here in Michigan and was told that Blue Green Algae didn’t
usually appear this time of year and I told the agent that the conditions were
that of late summer in Michigan, very hot for the last two days and reminded
him that Blue Green Algae can appear at any time. He told me not to panic or
to alarm other people. I told him that had someone else panicked, we wouldn't
be having this conversation right now.

Later that morning I found out from a neighbor that her two young boys had
vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps last week and her Doctor suggested
she bring in a water sample. I do not know if she did or not.

I also talked to a woman from a neighboring county whose neighbor’s dog
ingested a lot of water from a pond and died suddenly a couple weeks ago.

As of this writing, Wednesday, June 27th, I have not heard anything from
Michigan State where I took Vita for a necropsy and toxicological panel.

For the time being, I would strongly suggest you watch your dogs when
swimming in small lakes and ponds as the potential threat of toxic
poisoning from Blue Green Algae is prevalent. Had I known that algae of any kind was toxic, you can be sure my dogs wouldn’t be swimming anywhere and that Vita, whose name quite ironically meant "life" in Latin, would be alive today.

Missing you more than you can imagine.
May you rest in peace, Red Top Vita
09/05/06 - 06/26/07

Bob T
Fenton, Michigan

PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST

RonE · 06-30-2007, 07:39 AM

That is sad and disturbing - especially for someone with a dog who will seek out any drop, puddle, pond or lake.

Inga · 06-30-2007, 08:01 AM

Thank you so much for making us aware. I bet few people think of that as a risk when out having fun with their dogs swimming. I feel so sorry for your friend to have lost his dog in such a sad, sudden and painful way.

GreyhoundGirl · 06-30-2007, 08:40 AM

That's horrible, but thank you for sending it on...

Durbkat · 06-30-2007, 09:15 AM

That is sad. There is this stream at this park that has waste and stuff in it and the city put up very large signs warning people of the danger and to stay out but when you look over in the stream you see loads of kids in it. Its riduculous on how ignorant young kids are.

RonE · 06-30-2007, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Its riduculous on how ignorant young kids are.

Young kids and dogs are supposed to be ignorant.

Grownups are supposed to be watching out for them. If they can't, they shouldn't have kids or dogs.

Inga · 06-30-2007, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonE

Young kids and dogs are supposed to be ignorant.

Grownups are supposed to be watching out for them. If they can't, they shouldn't have kids or dogs.

Well said RonE Too True

Durbkat · 06-30-2007, 04:40 PM

Well sometimes you will see the parents in with them! lol

Renoman · 06-30-2007, 06:57 PM

I guess the point is to take responsibility for your dogs (or kids if necessary). My focal point is the dogs. Mine receive the lepto vaccine. I don't count on that as automatic immunity from dangers of standing water, etc. After reading this email I will be checking any standing water for signs of algae. But more importantly, I will be looking for some place else to take the boys for their water fun. There are plenty of places around here with 'moving water' that the boys can play in. The kiddie pool in the back yard is also a safer bet since the water is changed every day.

Dieselsmama · 06-30-2007, 07:46 PM

Thank You so much for the sad reminder Reno, We up here near Lake Champlain have also experienced blue/green algae effects and it's why neither my kids nor my dog are allowed to swim in the lake. We go to a falls which is mountain spring running water when we need to cool off and have some water fun.

Renoman · 07-01-2007, 11:45 AM

Who would have guessed that something that's so much fun (playing in the lake/pond) could be so deadly.

SunSiberians · 07-01-2007, 03:25 PM

Oh yes, I'm farmiliar with this - my uncle is a biologist and warned me, so I always keep on alert.

Renoman · 07-05-2007, 03:30 AM

I just opened my email and found another posting of a dog that died after ingesting the blue-green algae. A 2.y.o. Berner this time. It's very sad and very frightening.

Amaya-Mazie-Marley · 07-05-2007, 05:38 AM

Thats horrible, I'm sorry for your friends loss but thank you for posting this. I live around alot of lakes, my dogs have never been in any of them and they definately won't start swimming in them either. I recently purchased a kiddie pool that have used every day for 4 days and it takes me 20 minutes to get them to get out of the water and dry off and come inside. Every time I get them out of the water and dryed off they take off running and get right back in the water.

Renoman · 07-05-2007, 05:03 PM

Yeah, but they're alot safer than swimming in any ponds or lakes.

missmodular818 · 10-21-2007, 06:03 AM

i know this is an older thread but i came across these articles recently:

http://www.latimes.com/features/heal...adlines-health

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/10/04/amoeba.lake/

DON'T LET YOUR CANINE FRIENDS OR HUMAN FRIENDS IN STANDING WATER!!!! Please be safe everyone!

I'm so sorry for your loss....She was still a baby! I hope you are doing well. My thoughts are with you.

toymvr · 06-20-2008, 08:11 AM

I' very sorry for your loss been there.
It's getting awful sad The Chinese are trying to Poison us and our Kids the Mexicans giving e-coil on our Food, the Foreign ships coming into the Great Lakes Dumping there Ballast water Giving us God know what and what does our Government do Vote then self a raise now this. When are we going to wake up.
We can't even take our Dogs for a Swim

FriendsOfZoe · 06-20-2008, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toymvr

I' very sorry for your loss been there.
It's getting awful sad The Chinese are trying to Poison us and our Kids the Mexicans giving e-coil on our Food, the Foreign ships coming into the Great Lakes Dumping there Ballast water Giving us God know what and what does our Government do Vote then self a raise now this. When are we going to wake up.
We can't even take our Dogs for a Swim

LOL...just, LOL...

But I didn't see this thread the first go around, so I'm glad that someone bumped it up...I've noticed a lot more growth in the rather stagnant pond that Zoe swims in near us...that's also the one that's known to harbor giardia, so I think maybe she won't be swimming there anymore.

Our lake is still all good though...that's the Connecticut River flowing though.