Hadley Pinkerton ITN 6 Why did Arya the border collie die after swimming in Lake Allatoona Georgia Arya a border collie went swimming in Lake Allatoona with her owners and died shortly after No autopsy was performed but experts believe her death was due to a lake toxin Scientists speculate the toxin responsible was blue green algae These algaes form in lakes when cyanobacterial blooms occur in the water The growth of these blooms are facilitated by sewage discharge or agricultural run off These additional nutrients can produce a diversity of toxins Blue green algae is often fatal to dogs but rarely fatal to humans Just one week ago the city of Austin shut down one of their lakes after three dogs died from blue green algae in it It is easy to identify this particular type of bacteria it is not actually an algae which can save your pet s life They are generally found in warm still shallow water This bacteria interacts with water differently than regular algae in that it appears to be part of the water You cannot see individual cells or roots Some common algae types which are commonly confused with blue green algae are duckweed green algae and tree pollen If there are roots or leaves it is likely duckweed It is a stringy silk substance it is likely green algae If it has a yellowish tint with a dusty texture it is likely tree pollen It is important to be able to identify blue green algae as it can save your pets life But when in doubt stay out I included some fun tweets I found that I thought y all would like citations below Falconer Ian R and Andrew R Humpage Health Risk Assessment of Cyanobacterial Blue Green Algal Toxins in Drinking Water International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health U S National Library of Medicine Apr 2005 www ncbi nlm nih gov pmc articles PMC3814695 Lopez Author Elwyn A Marietta Couple Took Their Dog to Lake Allatoona Less than an Hour Later a Vet Told Them the Dog Might Have Died from Toxic Algae 11Alive Com 12 Aug 2019 www 11alive com article news a marietta couple take their dog to lake allatoona less th an an hour later a vet tells them the dog might have died from algae toxins 85 b8c44ca 2 a390 4c4e 82a2 0e67ab29dd94 text Fleming 20told 2011Alive s 20Elwyn 20 Lopez and 20how 20rapidly 20they 20developed Mazard Sophie et al Tiny Microbes with a Big Impact The Role of Cyanobacteria and Their Metabolites in Shaping Our Future Marine Drugs U S National Library of Medicine 17 May 2016 www ncbi nlm nih gov pmc articles PMC4882571
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