dog blue-green algae poisoning is a serious and potentially deadly risk in
the summer months when there is little rain and warm temperatures allow algal
blooms to form in lakes ponds and slow flowing rivers if your dog enjoys
swimming or if you walk your dog near any water then you really need to know
about the risk of blue-green algae to your dog hi I'm dr. Alex from
ourpetshealth.com and this is just one of the hot weather summer risks that I discuss
in my free hot weather dog care ebook I'll put the link in the description down
below so blue-green algae are actually a group of bacteria known as cyanobacteria
that have found in freshwater rivers streams and ponds as well as brackish or
slightly salty water now while they are normally present they are only really
found in very low numbers and so don't normally post any kind of danger
they are also microscopic and invisible in normal conditions when weather
conditions and water conditions are right however when water levels drop
water flow slows and temperatures rise the conditions are right for an
explosion in growth and this results in algal blooms where the blue-green algae
numbers increased dramatically and this can be seen in two ways
the algae may come together and float forming bluey greeny brownie kind of
flakes on mats rather than solid mats though the water may take on a
discolored pea-soup appearance or have a blue green brown foamy scum form
on the surface these mats or foam they're most commonly developed in still
water so lakes and ponds but rivers can definitely be affected if the water's
slow flowing or if there are backwaters and other pockets of still water present
and in fact several of the rivers near me they they develop blue-green algae
most years towards the kind of the mid to end summer at summer time now not all
rivers and lakes will be affected these blue-green algal blooms are also more
likely to be found in nutrient-rich water such as that where there is more
to runoff from farmland now even when there is an algal bloom
not all cyanobacteria produce toxins but if you see these blooms in the water
there's simply no way that you can distinguish safe from dangerous forms by
sight alone if you see any sign that blue-green algae is present then you
must assume that it is a dangerous type this is because other cyanobacteria
produced deadly toxins some poisonous blue-green algae produced neurotoxins
that affect the body's nervous system others produce a toxin that destroys the
liver to make matters worse only a really small amount of water containing
the toxin needs to be drunk a couple of mouthfuls may be all that is needed to
result in a fatal poisoning so now you know what blue-green algae looks like
and why it can be deadly just what then are the signs and
symptoms of blue-green algae poisoning in dogs
well the poisons may only take 15 to 30 minutes to start working and causing
your dog to start experiencing sign of poisoning and this means that you may
actually notice your dog becoming unwell while you're still on your walk or
shortly after getting back home if the cyanobacteria are producing neurotoxins
then these attacked the body's nerves and signs of poisoning with a neurotoxin
can include excessive salivation muscle tremors and twitching rigidity with the
legs becoming really stiff seizures and fitting paralysis difficulty breathing
as the chest muscles and diaphragm then just stop working and blue tinged gums
death may only take minutes two hours this poison works very quickly and is
absolutely deadly if on the other hand cyanobacteria are producing hepato
toxins then these attacked the liver signs of poisoning with a liver toxin of
vomiting diarrhea bloody or black stools pale or yellow gums weakness seizures
and these signs are likely to take longer to show and death is more
drawn-out taking about a couple of days or so so how then can blue-green algae
poisoning and dogs be treated well unfortunately there is no antidote
once poison has occurred treatment immediately after exposure is vital but
even then the prognosis is poor if a fatal amount of the poison has been
consumed your vet may make you look sick to just try and remove any toxin that's
still present in the stomach although this won't be done if your dog
is showing any signs of nervous problems of poisoning just because of the risk of
aspiration or inhaling the vomit and supportive treatment will then be given
to try and limit the damage and the effect of any toxin for those dogs that
don't die the likelihood of a complete recovery is actually very good but given
the fact that only such a small amount of poison is needed to be fatal even
with immediate treatment death is very likely now because of this and as with
most things prevention is always the best course of action so remember what
blue-green algae looks like and avoid letting your dog into any water that
looks even remotely suspicious be aware of the local risk certain waterways are
more likely to be I'm a poison risk than others and they may have happier poison
risks every year local councils and environmental agencies they're very
likely to monitor and sample local water conditions and publish somewhere online
and newspapers where blue-green algae is present your vet may also know which
areas to avoid if in doubt though during hot weather and low rainfall just do not
let your dog in any water especially lakes ponds and small slow flowing
rivers also be aware that blue-green algae is toxic to humans and other
animals and you should definitely not swim or even paddle in suspect water
okay so I hope that information helps keep your dog safe and removes the risk
of them ever suffering from blue-green algae poisoning make sure you get your
free copy of my ebook and I'll leave the link down in the description just to
make sure that you keep your dog safe from heatstroke another hot weather dog
dangers and until next time i'm dr. alex from our pets health because their
family