This is horrifying! Imagine, you take your pup to cool off by the river, your dog, as usual goes for swim, looks happy, vibrant... Then three days later, it dies....
I'd keep your pets away from the SJ river AND any possible tributaries, streams, that may lead to it. Who knows where the source of whatever is killing the dogs is coming from....
I always forget ya'll are on Facebook, so this news is maybe even old news, but still.. Share it!
3 dogs die suspiciously just days apart after swimming in St. John River
(cbcnews.ca) - - Dog owners are being warned to keep their animals away from the St. John River after three dogs died immediately after visiting the water's edge over the weekend in Fredericton.
Two of the dogs died in Carleton Park on Sunday evening. Another dog died Friday at Hartt Island RV Resort, 14 kilometres west on the St. John River.
"As a pet owner, you kind of expect you outlive your pets, but you don't expect two of them [to die] in a very short period of time in the same event," said Jeff Wilhelm.
A provincial veterinarian suspects blue green algae killed the dogs, and said owners should be wary of letting their pets near any discoloured areas of the St. John River.
A walk on a hot day
Wilhelm said he and his girlfriend, Angie, took their four dogs for a walk in Carleton Park, between the boat launch and Picaroons Traditional Ales on the city's north side, on a hot Sunday evening.
The couple, who often visit the park with their dogs, let them off leash because there was no one around. The dogs swam and played in the area for about an hour.
Two of the dogs, Sookie, a 10-year-old papillon, and Peekaboo, a 12-year-old shih-tzu, were drawn to one spot near the water, and Wilhelm said he kept shooing them away.
The couple and their dogs left the area around 7:30 p.m. and walked toward their house, about five minutes away.
But before they got there, Sookie got sick and died.
Dogs stopped breathing
"We got to the base of our street and Sookie started coughing, she fell over and then she stood up and then she was sick," Wilhelm said.
"Then she fell over again. I could see she wasn't really breathing."
Wilhelm thought she was choking, so he tried putting his fingers in her throat to see if he could remove the obstruction.
"She totally stopped breathing, so we ran home and called the vet."
The vet didn't think the dog would make it. The dog died at home.
Then the couple noticed Peekaboo was acting strange. Her eyes were rolling around and she couldn't stand up straight.
The couple took the dog to the Douglas Animal Hospital but it was too late.
"Within one minute they were there playing on the beach and less than 10 minutes or so [Sookie] was gone,
Wilhelm said. "And then less than half an hour after that, Peekaboo was gone."
Site contained 'nothing obvious'
Now the couple are waiting for answers from a necropsy being done this week to determine the cause of the dogs' deaths. The examination will cost about $200.
"The only avenue we had was what the vet offered," he said.
Wilhelm said he'll forward the results to the city and police, who have already visited the area where the dogs were playing and did not find anything.
"People need to know if there's something they need to be aware of," he said.
Wilhelm said he's worried for other dogs in Fredericton.
"If it would be awful for it to happen to somebody else, especially since who knows what it was?" he said. "There was nothing obvious there."
Blue green algae a possibility
Provincial veterinarian Dr. Jim Goltz said there's no definitive answer, but given the time of year, he suspects blue green algae as the cause of death.
"We're pursuing that angle as our first investigation into the potential for toxins," he said.
He said blue green algae grows in warm conditions, when water levels are low and produce different toxins that can affect the brain.
"These can kill animals within half an hour of exposure and after the toxin has been ingested," he said.
They can also produce toxins that damage the liver.
"This usually takes longer to produce the effects," he said.
If people are walking along the river and notice a greenish discolouration in the water, Goltz said, they should keep their dogs away from that area.
"That's the kind of condition where these kinds of issues could be problematic," he said.
Instead of letting pets swim in the St. John River, he advised letting them cool off in a backyard swimming pool.
City aware of dog deaths
Jaime Watson, a spokesperson for the City of Fredericton, said the city has been made aware of the three deaths.
But she wanted people to know the drinking water in Fredericton is safe because it comes from deep wells around Wilmot Park and the Queen's Square.
"Once treated it is then distributed to our customers throughout the city. As an extra precaution, the treated water has a chlorine residual to protect against any contaminants which it could encounter in the distribution system."
Watson said the city was told the Department of Health is looking into the matter involving the dogs.
"Any advisories or signage, if required, come from the province but in the meantime we have asked the public to use caution and their own discretion with their pets around the river," she said.
Full Article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dead-dogs-fredericton-park-1.4760765
I'd keep your pets away from the SJ river AND any possible tributaries, streams, that may lead to it. Who knows where the source of whatever is killing the dogs is coming from....
I always forget ya'll are on Facebook, so this news is maybe even old news, but still.. Share it!
3 dogs die suspiciously just days apart after swimming in St. John River
(cbcnews.ca) - - Dog owners are being warned to keep their animals away from the St. John River after three dogs died immediately after visiting the water's edge over the weekend in Fredericton.
Two of the dogs died in Carleton Park on Sunday evening. Another dog died Friday at Hartt Island RV Resort, 14 kilometres west on the St. John River.
"As a pet owner, you kind of expect you outlive your pets, but you don't expect two of them [to die] in a very short period of time in the same event," said Jeff Wilhelm.
A provincial veterinarian suspects blue green algae killed the dogs, and said owners should be wary of letting their pets near any discoloured areas of the St. John River.
A walk on a hot day
Wilhelm said he and his girlfriend, Angie, took their four dogs for a walk in Carleton Park, between the boat launch and Picaroons Traditional Ales on the city's north side, on a hot Sunday evening.
The couple, who often visit the park with their dogs, let them off leash because there was no one around. The dogs swam and played in the area for about an hour.
Two of the dogs, Sookie, a 10-year-old papillon, and Peekaboo, a 12-year-old shih-tzu, were drawn to one spot near the water, and Wilhelm said he kept shooing them away.
The couple and their dogs left the area around 7:30 p.m. and walked toward their house, about five minutes away.
But before they got there, Sookie got sick and died.
Dogs stopped breathing
"We got to the base of our street and Sookie started coughing, she fell over and then she stood up and then she was sick," Wilhelm said.
"Then she fell over again. I could see she wasn't really breathing."
Wilhelm thought she was choking, so he tried putting his fingers in her throat to see if he could remove the obstruction.
"She totally stopped breathing, so we ran home and called the vet."
The vet didn't think the dog would make it. The dog died at home.
Then the couple noticed Peekaboo was acting strange. Her eyes were rolling around and she couldn't stand up straight.
The couple took the dog to the Douglas Animal Hospital but it was too late.
"Within one minute they were there playing on the beach and less than 10 minutes or so [Sookie] was gone,
Wilhelm said. "And then less than half an hour after that, Peekaboo was gone."
Site contained 'nothing obvious'
Now the couple are waiting for answers from a necropsy being done this week to determine the cause of the dogs' deaths. The examination will cost about $200.
"The only avenue we had was what the vet offered," he said.
Wilhelm said he'll forward the results to the city and police, who have already visited the area where the dogs were playing and did not find anything.
"People need to know if there's something they need to be aware of," he said.
Wilhelm said he's worried for other dogs in Fredericton.
"If it would be awful for it to happen to somebody else, especially since who knows what it was?" he said. "There was nothing obvious there."
Blue green algae a possibility
Provincial veterinarian Dr. Jim Goltz said there's no definitive answer, but given the time of year, he suspects blue green algae as the cause of death.
"We're pursuing that angle as our first investigation into the potential for toxins," he said.
He said blue green algae grows in warm conditions, when water levels are low and produce different toxins that can affect the brain.
"These can kill animals within half an hour of exposure and after the toxin has been ingested," he said.
They can also produce toxins that damage the liver.
"This usually takes longer to produce the effects," he said.
If people are walking along the river and notice a greenish discolouration in the water, Goltz said, they should keep their dogs away from that area.
"That's the kind of condition where these kinds of issues could be problematic," he said.
Instead of letting pets swim in the St. John River, he advised letting them cool off in a backyard swimming pool.
City aware of dog deaths
Jaime Watson, a spokesperson for the City of Fredericton, said the city has been made aware of the three deaths.
But she wanted people to know the drinking water in Fredericton is safe because it comes from deep wells around Wilmot Park and the Queen's Square.
"Once treated it is then distributed to our customers throughout the city. As an extra precaution, the treated water has a chlorine residual to protect against any contaminants which it could encounter in the distribution system."
Watson said the city was told the Department of Health is looking into the matter involving the dogs.
"Any advisories or signage, if required, come from the province but in the meantime we have asked the public to use caution and their own discretion with their pets around the river," she said.
Full Article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dead-dogs-fredericton-park-1.4760765
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