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Three Dogs in North Carolina have suffered seizures and passed after swimming in water that was contaminated with blue-green algae. Now, their owners are hoping to raise awareness of the dangers of the toxic organisms.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when Melissa Martin and Denise Mintz from Wilmington, North Carolina took their beloved dogs Abby, Izzy, and Harpo, for a swim in a local pond on Thursday night. They were unaware that the water was going to be lethal.
Melissa and Denise thought that what they saw in the pond was flower blooms, but in fact, it was cyanobacteria.
Commonly known as blue-green algae, it is actually a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria that are normally present in many lakes and ponds. It thrives in warm, nutrient-rich stagnant waters, and under the right conditions, will grow rapidly forming “blooms.” It is often described as looking like spilled green paint or pea soup.
While algae isn’t harmful, those blooms produce cyanotoxins that will make humans and animals sick. It is most common in summer and early fall when the weather is warm, and has been on the rise due to global warming.
Exposure to blue-green algae is almost always deadly for dogs, and there is no cure for the poisoning.
Within 15 minutes of leaving the pond, their dog Abby, a West Highland terrier, began to have a seizure. As Abby was rushed to the veterinarian, Izzy, also a West Highland terrier, and Harpo, a doodle mix, also started seizing, and Harpo showed signs of liver failure.
By late Friday night, all three dogs had passed away. They had been poisoned by the blue-green algae in the pond where they played.
“What started out as a fun night for them has ended in the biggest loss of our lives,” Melissa wrote on Facebook.
She is now determined to raise awareness of the dangers, warning other dog owners about the threat posed by blue-green algae. She says that she is on a mission to install warning signs at every body of water that could have the deadly bacteria.
