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Algae can kill a dog...

L

Lionheart

SOH-CM-2014
Hey guys,

I thought it best to post this for those who take their dogs for walks near lakes that have alot of Algae in them.


Did you know there are 3 types of Algae poisoning that can kill dogs? 2 Are almost stopable, and 1 is a deadly nueron attack that will kill the dog in 72 hours or less and is almost irreversable. The only thing they can do is induce vommitting, make the dog eat oxygenated charcoal (I think thats what they said, some kind of charcoal which absorbs the poisons forming in the stomach and digestive track) and induce as much vommitting as possible.

I take Juniour for walks at a nearby golfcourse lake that has recycled sewage water. You dont really realise its 'that' but thats what the sign says. Anyways, Juniour loves seeing the ducks out there and loves the trips.

Now and then he will duck his head down really fast and get a couple of laps of water before I can jerk him away from the edge of the water. On the last several visits, the Algae has been so thick, it has been breaking free of the bottom, floating to the surface and gathering in thick foam in the shores. Junior had a couple of laps. 2 Days later, he was pretty ill (the next day actually) and later that night (10PM) I decided after reading about Algae poisoning in dogs, I grabbed him up and off to the animal hospital we went. Tons of testing later, we found he didnt have severe signs, so that was good. Out by 3AM... They put some fluids in him, he rested well and this morning he finally ate some chicken.



So... If you love your puppies, and you have algae forming on the surface of the local lake, watering hole, pond, do NOT let your little friend near it. It might be the last day of life that little person has. You are warned..



Bill
 
Timely warning Bill. I did know that some algae is harmful to all sort of animal life. Some lakes near to me get what is commonly known as blue/green algae (guess what colour it is?) in warmer weather,especially where there is little current.

Something else I learnt to my cost is the toxicity of lily pollen, some worse than others. If your cat or dog gets any on their fur and licks it off, the poison affects their kidneys and they suffer apalliningly. So be careful if you have lilies in the garden and especially cut flowers in a vase, the pollen can be lethal.
 
Thanks for the heads up Lionheart. Glad to know that Juniour is going to be fine. We have a pretty good sized pond on our place and I like taking the dogs down around it on their walks...but I don't let them drink from the pond. Lots a algae growth on the pond sure enough, but pond has the runoff from at least a dozen septic tanks that get channeled into it...and that is the reason I don't let the dogs drink from it. Not sure that it would hurt them, as the fish in the pond are all healthy looking fish....and BIG...but I don't take chances with my fur kids' health.

OBIO
 
i dont let me dog drink out of any type of pool, lake etc that has green in it or has been around for more than a few weeks, which he knows ... however everything else is deemed as fair game and weather or not he needs a bath depends on who gets to the puddle first :icon_lol:
 
I don't know how serious this can be, but I've heard that you shouldn't let your dog drink from a garden hose. I admit I do so every once in a while. My Rottweiler loves to drink from the hose....

NC
 
We had that problem for a number of years up on Lake Champain and other lakes in Northern NY and Vermont. Brain can comfirm that for Vermont. It's not newl for some Bill, but still a great warning just the same.
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GT182 said:
We had that problem for a number of years up on Lake Champlain and other lakes in Northern NY and Vermont. Brian can confirm that for Vermont. It's not new for some Bill, but still a great warning just the same.
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Yep. Most every summer there are warnings posted about not letting animals drink from Lake Champlain due to the algae infestations.

I'm lucky. My three are so afraid of water, I can't get em' to get into a kiddie pool....


Brian
 
I hope Junior completely gets back to normal! It is sad to see our fur friends suffer and we dont have any clue what they feel. Unlike kids, (big children) they can tell you what bothers them.

Next time give him warnings, tell him the lake water is not good for drinking, and next time, bring bottled water for him to drink! Believe me they will listen! They understood!

Eli :running:
 
good one mr. bill!!!! thanks for the heads up, i didn't know. :applause:

here is another one ya'll may not know -

NO RAISINS OR GRAPES
as little as 3 can sometimes kill by causing acute renal failure, whatever that is. i just learned today because another lady i know lost her lab this way, he only ate 3 or 4 she said.
 
A good heads up. Pretty common around here. There are even a few strains that can be harmful or even deadly to humans....no swimming, splashing, skiing etc when that algae bloom shows up.

As far as the "recycled sewage water": that stuff is fed regulated and is cleaner than the lake or river water that it is pumped in to. Still kinda creepy though.
 
My little dauschund (he's nearly 12 now) was so sick I took him to the vet. He had a fever, and his abdomen was very bloated. I suspected an impaction, but I wasn't about to give him an enema... ;)

Anyway aside from old age, he was running a low grade infection, so the doctor prescribed some antibiotics, and pain meds for a two week course of treatment. I'm just shy of being $200 poorer, but I'm happy to say that he seems to be bouncing back. The vet also found a cataract forming on his left eye and a slight heart murmor, but his spine is in better shape than mine! :wiggle:

When I got him up this morning, the first thing I did was carry him outside (he can't go up/down the front steps any longer). After a few minutes, he made a pile the size of a cow patty (and about as loose)...

I think he must have goteten rid of about a weeks worth of backup in one go.
 
navychief said:
I don't know how serious this can be, but I've heard that you shouldn't let your dog drink from a garden hose. I admit I do so every once in a while. My Rottweiler loves to drink from the hose....

NC
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Heck, I drink from the hose when working outside
 
Turns out you also shouldn't give your dog chocolate.
150g of Cocoa powder will kill a good-sized dog.
 
It's surprising how many common plants are poisonous to cats and dogs. I have used this site in the past to check things out when our dog (when she was alive) got into something she shouldn't have done.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/

You can select to display only toxic plants to dogs, cats or horses or only show safe plants for each of the above.
 
Never did like chocolate.....and toilet water was always better than that green stuff in the lake......
but I sure do like snackin' on them goose turds along the shore !!!!
 
The dog in my Avatar picture was named Rose, she died suddenly in June of 2005... We spent almost every day out on the beach and she loved to play in the water... The vet didn't know what caused her death because she was 100% healthy and only 7 years old.. Makes me wonder...
 
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