Michael Van Loon, said that after he and Chipper his 11 year old Springer Spaniel came home Sunday from swimming in the Umpqua River, near Elkton, Ohio he noticed Chipper was not himself. In an attempt to excite Chipper they tried to feed him a special treat that he normally would have eaten right up. Chipper refused to eat. His owners just thought it was a stomach bug after being out playing in the water all day and thought he would feel better in the morning.
Chipper was still sick on Tuesday morning, so Van Loon’s mother, Susan Burson, took her “granddog” to Bailey Veterinary Clinic. When the Veterinarian Barry Downie examined Chipper, he discovered the dog was experiencing liver and kidney failure — signs he said of toxic algae poisoning. The decision was made to put Chipper to sleep as there was no chance of recovery in fact most dogs who come in contact with Blue-Green Algae die within hours of exposure. “Blue-green algae was most likely the cause, though it’s hard to determine for sure because there are tons of toxins out there that cause the same clinical signs and for concrete diagnosis Chippers stomach would have to be sent to a lab for testing.
Van Loon recalled seeing a mossy green scum where they had been swimming, though at the time he didn’t know it was potentially harmful to his pet. Downie speculated that Chip ran through a warm, stagnant pool on the river bank that had grown the algae blooms and had likely licked himself clean afterward. This summer, the Oregon Public Health Division has issued seven algae bloom health advisories. Unfortunately this was not even the first death of a dog due to the algae growing in the area this summer the South Umpqua River was placed under an advisory July 29 following the death of another dog visual signs of algae scum and water testing. One of the main messages we push is that only a fraction of Oregon waters are monitored regularly, and it’s important to take standard precautions when entering lakes and river. Exposure to the Blue-Green Algae toxins can produce symptoms of numbness, tingling and dizziness that can lead to difficulty breathing or heart problems. Skin irritation, weakness, diarrhea, nausea, cramps and fainting can also occur. Children and pets are particularly susceptible
Taking dogs out for a day in the sun and water is tiring for them. Most dogs would have gone home and found somewhere nice to rest for a few hours and then started looking for something to eat. The fact that Chipper was not hungry and refused a special treat should have alerted his owner to a bigger problem. It most likely in this case would not have
For more information about the Algae Blooms http://www.nrtoday.com/ARTICLE/20110804/NEWS/110809914/1055/RSS
Why would a person expose their pet to this stuff! Algae. I would never let my pet around this algae, and besides the pet was out too long playing. This is stupid on their part. A pet should never be over worked with play.