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Old June 28th 07, 07:48 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Karen
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Posts: 1,670
Default !! Toxic Algae poisoning (Long, but important)

This is a real problem in our area of NE the last couple of years. Once
found, the authorities have been really keen on testing and posting if it is
present *before* people let their animals in it now. Unfortunately, when it
started last year it took the deaths of a few dogs before they realized
there was a problem


wrote in message
ups.com...
This is relevant since people here have dogs and outdoor cats and
ferals also drink from these water sources

---------- Forwarded message ----------


FROM ANOTHER LIST:

It is with a very heavy heart that I write this and I apologize for
its length.
Please, PLEASE pass this around.

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 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 http://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 neighbors 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 toxoligical 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 Tatus

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