One hot topic that has made the news a few times in recent months is the potentially lethal blue-green algae found in water. There have been a few incidents of canine companions becoming incredibly ill and some even succumbing to the illness caused by this algae.
Dog dad, Alan Brown, from Newcastle recently had a horrific experience with blue-green algae which ended in heartbreak. Alan took his dog, Rolex, for a walk at Lake Windemere in Cumbria. It was quite a warm day, and after seeing Rolex hot and bothered, Alan allowed him to walk into the water. Rolex certainly did not drink the water but went in ankle-deep to cool off.
Later that afternoon, Rolex started acting in an unusual way. After about an hour, he started breathing strangely. He then started vomiting and went into cardiac arrest. Alan resuscitated him and rushed him off for emergency medical attention. Rolex was put on a ventilator and was fighting for his life. Unfortunately, he deteriorated quickly and did not survive the incident. This 57-year old dog dad was left heartbroken and shocked at what had happened.
He also urges dog parents to be extremely cautious when letting your dog go into the water. Most of us would probably agree that we would not think twice about letting our devoted dogs cool off after a long walk, especially at only ankle depth! But the story of Rolex is a frightening reminder that we never know what is lurking in the waters!
Images & Feature Image Source: Alan Brown