# For those dogs that swim in lakes and ponds...



## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Are owners aware of the dangers of blue green algae?

There was something on the news this morning that jogged my memory. Its mainly related to standing water, so flowing streams and rivers are usually safe.



> cyanobacteria poisoning,
> poisoning by cyanobacteria, usually as a result of drinking contaminated water. In most cases it is a subacute condition characterized by liver damage with jaundice and sometimes bloody diarrhea and photosensitization. Drinking of heavily contaminated water may cause acute symptoms including muscle tremors, ataxia, dyspnea, cyanosis, and hyperesthesia so that a slight touch may cause convulsions and opisthotonos, which can be fatal. Also called blue-green algae poisoning.


Dog owners warned against letting pets swim in lakes after poisonous algae found flourishing in hot weather | Mail Online


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## Guest (Jul 4, 2009)

Really good post for this time of year, especially after the heat of the last two weeks.


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## ad_1980 (Jan 28, 2009)

Nonnie said:


> Are owners aware of the dangers of blue green algae?
> 
> There was something on the news this morning that jogged my memory. Its mainly related to standing water, so flowing streams and rivers are usually safe.
> 
> Dog owners warned against letting pets swim in lakes after poisonous algae found flourishing in hot weather | Mail Online


I read this in the londonpaper last night on the way home and was going to post about it but i couldn't remember exactly what the article said.


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## 3 red dogs (May 17, 2008)

Going to make this a sticky for a few weeks till the hot weather passes and the threat is reduced,
Thx to the OP for this!


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## brackensmom (Jun 15, 2009)

thanks for posting this, it is very good to be reminded of the dangers of lakes and ponds, and to make people aware if already not.


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## sequeena (Apr 30, 2009)

Thanks Nonnie, I'll remember this!


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## srhdufe (Feb 11, 2009)

Good idea to post this...

My dog always tries to jump in my garden pond when it's hot.. 
We do have a stream and waterfall (man made) though so the water isn't stagnent.. 

It's just a job trying to keep him out of it as he always wants to play with the fishies


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## huddy50 (Jul 5, 2009)

This is a great post thank you Nonnie.

Our Bruce is such water baby even the smallest puddle he seems to find. one of my friends had a collie die 3 years ago due to algae in the local park, pond. We have always been careful where we let him swim not easy with a cocker thats a livewire lol. 


Thanks again its always good to have a reminder.
Adam,Cheryl and Bruce


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## dodigna (Feb 19, 2009)

oh dear, ray has just finally learned to swim and there is no keeping him out. W take him to a pond on hampstead heath in london, but only let him get into the larger one with loads of vegetation growing in. It's all green on the surface, but they are little plants which I hope are oxigenating the water, there are no algae but will def look into this better!!!!!


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## reddyrufus (Jul 10, 2009)

A friend of a friends Lab daily swam in a lake, horrible dirty one at that, he got a cancer, not sure of the exact ins and outs but the vet said that swimming in a stagnet lake was probably a cause of it


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## IHG (Apr 20, 2009)

Don't talk to me about bloody Cyno, this recent hot weather has caused a massive bloom of the stuff in my Marine tank!

I am spending about 20 minutes a night syphoning it out.


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## Sheltielady (Jul 8, 2009)

I've seen something before about stagnant water being harmful to dogs, but couldn't remember why. Thanks for the reminder1


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## CatzEyes (Mar 30, 2009)

I am so glad you posted this because my OH takes are dog to the lake behind where we live all the time. I will make sure to mention this to him.


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## Spudlover (Oct 26, 2008)

That's a good bit of info, as only a few weeks ago we took our dogs to Richmond Park where they swam in the pond. They loved it, thank god, they are ok!


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## Nickb (Aug 4, 2009)

my step-dad always warns me about this so im well educated  but my lab only ever swims in running water anyway which he absolutly LOVES!!...


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## exchangeandmart (Aug 5, 2009)

Thanks for this warning, you do tend to forget about the dangers in lakes etc. so this has been a good reminder.


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## nickmcmechan (Aug 1, 2009)

IHG said:


> Don't talk to me about bloody Cyno, this recent hot weather has caused a massive bloom of the stuff in my Marine tank!
> 
> I am spending about 20 minutes a night syphoning it out.


a good point as this can be common in our fish tanks at home, another reason to always wash your hands after tank maintenance!


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## Robz (Aug 9, 2009)

Well actually infact--
My dog is a pussy and doesnt go in the lakes and ponds!
He kinda hovers and then ignores it!
It is very funny to watch though!


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## exchangeandmart (Aug 5, 2009)

my friend mentioned this morning that his dog had been unwell yesterday after eating some pond weed; high temperature, bloody diarrhea and not usual character. Is the risk there in this case do you think, and if so what should i tell my friend to do? (NB it was only weed eaten, and this was vomited by the dog shortly after)


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## lappleton404 (Aug 5, 2009)

Good post!

That's why I don't let my dogs swimming anywhere. When it comes to my dogs always their safety is my priority.


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## ~Ben~Bev~Marki (Aug 25, 2009)

Oh no!hmy: I'm so glad to have found this forum and thread. Our Ben has only just found his water wings and has been loving paddling in one of our local lakes. 

I haven't observed any adverse effects after his paddles, but I'll most definately keep an eye out now.


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## stevejohnson (Nov 18, 2009)

HI.
Its really very nice thanks for such a good post.
Thanks for sharing your post.


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## 1fitmutt (Jan 7, 2010)

I actually recently wrote a post about dogs swimming and mentioned this danger in there. It's very important to look where you let your dog swim and be aware of the dangers of bacteria. Also remember to look for any dead fish in the water and checking that there aren't any broken bottles or sharp rocks jutting out under the water for your dog to step on.


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## rottietao (Dec 16, 2009)

just seen this such a good post!!! 

reminded me a few yrs ago friends dog became critically ill after swimming in pond on clapham common london. vet said she was lucky to pull through.
cant believe i didn't remember before so i could have warned others.


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## Tilly-Miss (Feb 3, 2010)

Had a problem last year with tilly who become very ill for unknown reasons to me,sickness and diarohea bless her was caused through tilly drinking from puddles in the woods,my goodness it was very worrying for us all,but the vets obviously have seen the symptons many times previously and after some injections and course of tablets she fought it off,i would never like to see that happen to anyone,so please take note from the original poster of the harm that is hiding in water.
We are often asked if tilly is a lake dog,i never let her near any lake as i am not a good swimmer and wouldnt want to take any chances with her in case of problems that could arise.


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## Tilly-Miss (Feb 3, 2010)

Thank you all for your response,some very good reading from you all.


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## withak (Apr 22, 2010)

thanks for the heads up. our dog pudding loves a good swim so we'll be sure to avoid ponds or lakes! our Collie Heze hates swimming so she'll be fine lol


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## Mum2Alfie (Jan 4, 2010)

Oh wow thanks for this! My dogs arent great with water, but we do have a pond in the park! We have a stream as well and they drink out of that. But it is always running and always fresh. Actually the pond is always running cause it goes into the stream. Hmmm, is this ok? Now I am concerned. The pond does keep moving cause of the stream. But would it get it in it cause its not very fast until it gets to the streamy bit! Would you see algae?


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## Nonnie (Apr 15, 2009)

Algae is very visible.

If the water looks green, dont let your dog in it.


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## Mum2Alfie (Jan 4, 2010)

Ohh right. Ty thats ok, the water is very clear actually, ducks and fish are in them. We got coy carp in the ponds! Got new baby ducks as well! there were 11, think there is now 6! Think foxes got them! Poor things!


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## chrissie-h (Apr 18, 2010)

Tilly-Miss said:


> Had a problem last year with tilly who become very ill for unknown reasons to me,sickness and diarohea bless her was caused through tilly drinking from puddles in the woods.


Dogs drinking from puddles is such a worry! I saw a lady this morning completely ignoring the fact that her dog was drinking from a puddle in a car park So risky given the chances of oil/anti-freeze/other chemicals.

Really good information about the danger of algae, thanks. Makes me very wary about letting dogs of lead in an unfamiliar environment - could always be a pond just out of site that they might get into before you know it! x


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## jlushh (Jun 22, 2009)

Are canals alright for swimming in?


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## mum2three (Jan 5, 2010)

Just wondering what classes as stagnant. We have a very large Lake near us, loads of dogs swim there. It has a river running through it. I did notice the other week that there was a small patch in one corner of it with a green weed looking stuff floating. Is that likely to be the dangerous stuff and does it make to whole lake a no go. 
The park is run by our local authority, could they test the water and put up warning notices when it unsafe for our dogs??


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## Full-Iron (Jul 3, 2010)

Thank you for this little information, i didn't think of it.


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## Lisa Shardlow (Jul 12, 2010)

Hi everyone, I was talking to the warden of our local country park recently and he said that a pair of swans that were sitting on eggs had drowned 2 dogs as they had been swimming in the lake and had got too close. I had no idea that a swan was capable of drowning a dog - particularly as one was quite large (a Labrador). 
Lisa
Completely Canine | PURE Dog Listening | Dog Walking | Dog Sitting | Dog Listener | Covering: Chesterfield, Sheffield, Mansfield, Worksop, Dronfield, UK | Based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, UK


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## PetShopsUSA (May 16, 2010)

This is something I was totally unaware of. Does anyone know of an easy way to determine if a lake contains this kind of algae? Are there signs to look for on the surface? I think every dog owner needs to be aware of this. This is worth reposting.


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## Gemmaa (Jul 19, 2009)

PetShopsUSA said:


> This is something I was totally unaware of. Does anyone know of an easy way to determine if a lake contains this kind of algae? Are there signs to look for on the surface? I think every dog owner needs to be aware of this. This is worth reposting.


Well, I might be wrong but I took a photo of this dodgy looking water.

I've seen some place put signs up to warn people.


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## JonS (Sep 8, 2010)

Thanks for posting this.....we were on holiday last week and our hound swam in Windermere every day (great fun he says), and then as we were about to come home the 'Great North Swim' (in Windermere) was cancelled - for this reason.

Lake looked really clear though....


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## perrywalsh (Sep 29, 2010)

thanks for sharing that such a good information 

I'll care about that


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## poppysolari (Dec 5, 2010)

A very informative thread! I have never though much about my dog swimming and the dangers there could be! a good read! Thanks!


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## Allieso (Nov 27, 2010)

my dog is a good swimmer in the sunmmer if i was free i would take him to a river nearby every time on the way to the river he was always very excied i know he likes swim very much :thumbup:


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## zack2011 (Jan 21, 2011)

Not heard of this before ,thanks for posting


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## jameserickson80 (Jan 24, 2011)

Thank you friend. This is such an informative post. I will spread it out.


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## [email protected] (Nov 22, 2010)

Thanks for this info. Was it in any particular area in the UK or just a general thing? My dogs regularly swim in nearby lakes. I will be keeping an eye out.


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## FEJA JUODAS (May 19, 2010)

yes take bottle and bowl for drinking water when out...to try and avoid them drinking in ponds etc....and

ear infections also danger from dirty water ...dog starts scratching ears...and you find dark fungus when you go to vet and liquid treatment needed to clear out.


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## helenaldin (Jan 17, 2011)

Holy cow! I had no idea! So, am I reading right that if the water's clear and there are fish and fowl...that its ok? My dog swims in our pond constantly!


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## AnimalArtist (May 10, 2011)

Just to lighten the mood - my springer ALWAYS finds standing water wherever we go......... She's called "Bog Dog" - er...that should read "Jasmine", 

The Swamp Monster OF Stanton Moor - Peak District Art - Peak District Online, Peak District Accommodation, Holiday Cottages, Hotels, Pubs, B&B, Campsites


I'm new today - can anyone tell me what a trackback is please - without messing up this thread (sorry Im a newbie - help!)?


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## AnimalArtist (May 10, 2011)

you see I'm also rubbish with computers - that link should be:

The Swamp Monster OF Stanton Moor - Peak District Art - Peak District Online, Peak District Accommodation, Holiday Cottages, Hotels, Pubs, B&B, Campsites


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## vance99 (May 20, 2011)

Great thread, i really like the responses and the information people are sharing here. My dog dexter is also a really good swimmer, when ever i am close to passing the lake you can actually see the excitement on his face as he just wants to go for a dip.


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## Adam2011 (May 20, 2011)

................


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## stylemypooch (Mar 10, 2011)

Thanks Nonnie - We have Springers that go in a large pond and thy love it. Will have to be more careful!! Especially for many dogs this time of year! Great post.


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## [email protected]'s_Bakery (Jun 7, 2011)

I have a (almost) 6 year old golden retriever, Chester, and he LOVES to swim in anything that resembles water! Luckily, I always try to go to the coast where he can swim in the water and run along the beach. After reading this post I will definitely avoid lakes or standing waters. Chester has had allergies since he was a puppy and he has very sensitive skins so I will make sure he only swims in the sea! Thank you for this important post.


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## jonaszook27 (Jun 21, 2011)

thanks for your suggestions ,i want to prefer lakes from now


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## feathered bird lover (May 23, 2011)

good post. i'll keep max to the river.


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## Sacrechat (Feb 27, 2011)

I wasn't even aware of this. Sadie isn't a swimmer, although, she doesn't mind a paddle, but I will definitely be keeping an eye out for green or stagnant water.


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

Wondered if anyone can help me understand what I'm actually looking to avoid?

The river where we live has lots of algae on the top, the water itself is completely clear.

If algae is on the top is this blue green algae or does that colour the water? I don't understand if its algae itself to avoid or water which is discoloured/greenish?


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

GoldenShadow said:


> Wondered if anyone can help me understand what I'm actually looking to avoid?
> 
> The river where we live has lots of algae on the top, the water itself is completely clear.
> 
> If algae is on the top is this blue green algae or does that colour the water? I don't understand if its algae itself to avoid or water which is discoloured/greenish?


Anyone able to help me with this at all..?

Thanks


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## mickyb (Oct 31, 2008)

I live along side the river Trent, and I am always telling people don't let your dog go into the river, they mostly tell me were to go, and when I tell them, this year a lone there have been seven dogs die, from swimming in the river, they say am making it up, last week there was a woman with two Boxer dogs, she let them in the water, and came running back holding one in her arms, am sad to say it died, there should be more advertised about the problem.


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## mrdynamite (Sep 8, 2011)

hmmmm.. pretty interesting


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## RAINYBOW (Aug 27, 2009)

They have notices up at our park at the moment but people are still ignoring them


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## Jomox (Sep 4, 2010)

We have lakes around here, but they have fresh flowing water that goes in and out of them and through streams/waterfull's etc, it's a massive system, they are all connected. They are not stagnant. 

Are these safe or prone to this problem? Loads of dogs swim in them.

I've attached a picture. Any advise welcome.


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## waller540 (May 12, 2011)

Is this problem specific to certain countries?


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## kateh8888 (Aug 9, 2011)

Thank you for this information.


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## Cas87 (Mar 16, 2012)

Great information! Unfortunately my dog can't swim... so wont be a problem for me


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## hjswinter (Apr 9, 2012)

I always have trouble keeping my chocolate Labrador out of water. She loves swimming so much. I try and take her to places with running water. I think she did get lung worm once and I blamed it on her swimming in stagnant water. Trouble is I can't stop her from jumping into water as she thinks its worth a smack. No matter how much obedience training I do with her it goes out of the window if there is water around.


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## Cesar Milano (Apr 15, 2012)

Me and my dog went swimming in a lake that had blue green algae.There was a sign but I did`nt see it until the next time we went there.My dog Rolo was ok,no visible adverse affects but I experience itchy skin.I always check the sign first now : )


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## Harry66 (Apr 25, 2012)

Thanks for this information my dogs are always trying to jump in the lake!


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## SueBoo (Apr 24, 2012)

My dogs are forever jumping in the lakes, they think it is a big game and it is hard to be mad at them


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## Howl (Apr 10, 2012)

> CROSSPOSTED
> 
> PLEASE BE AWARE AND SHARE
> 
> ...


Originally from Large Breed Dog Rescue


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## Mysterious (May 12, 2012)

Oh no this post made me to worry
Today I was out for a long walk with my dog. I decided to take him to the forest and there is a huge lake, he was swimming and drunk some water from there too...

Since I came home he was only sleeping and also looks very tired, maybe it affected him because we walked about 15 miles and he usually doesn't go for such a long walks??!


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## fogy (Jun 26, 2011)

Thanks for the post. We have a lake near us where people allow their dogs to swim but i only allow mine to swim in flowing water.


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## Ganymede (Dec 22, 2009)

That is good to know. We have a country park ponds near us that a lot of dog walkers allow their dogs in. 

Knowing this I wont allow my dogs anywhere near them.

Thanks for sharing:thumbup:


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## iana1uk (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks for the heads up on this. Never entered my head when walking my dog.


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## WalterLexi (Jul 20, 2012)

Both of my dogs swim well. They love it. So when sending them to dog boarding. I often choose the one that have swimming pools


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## LavalMattson (Jul 27, 2012)

WalterLexi said:


> Both of my dogs swim well. They love it. So when sending them to dog boarding. I often choose the one that have swimming pools


Dog boarding kennels in my city have swimming pool large enough for about 50 dogs


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## Charlottelola84 (Aug 2, 2012)

Luckily for me Lola doesn't really like water and tries to avoid it at all costs even if her ball has gone in the water!


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## petrus (Aug 5, 2012)

Ouch... i wasn't aware of that.. Thanks for being informative...


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## trixx214 (Jul 26, 2012)

thanks for posting this, i will keep that in mind.


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## Barry Wiliams (Jun 5, 2012)

Really good point , Also watch out for swans protecting eggs nearby ,my wife son and max the staff and i were on a walk about spring time when we saw a swan forcing down a labrador that had jumped in a lake for a swim , much to the distress of the owner .The swan was very aggressive. :scared:


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## hjswinter (Apr 9, 2012)

I never allow my dog in lakes that have swans or Canadian geese as they can both be aggressive. I also agree with flowing water being best. I'm sure my dog got lung worm once from swimming in a stagnant pond. I can't always stop her mind but regularly treat her for lung worm to play it safe.

One of the best things I've ever brought for my dog is a childrens sand pit. I fill it with water and let her coold down in it after a walk. She loves it. Because it's plastic it doesn't matter if she tries to dig in it which she she does to try and cover herself more with water.


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## Smauler (Sep 11, 2012)

You should never let your dogs run loose wherever birds are nesting, unless you know what you're doing. One dog mucking about can cause massive damage to bird nests, etc.

Water areas are particularly under threat.


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## bluesupero (Oct 3, 2012)

My friends dogs swim in the sea every day (well, in the good weather) they are really good and know not to swallow the water, because it can make them sick.


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## rotties4eva (Nov 26, 2011)

Mine all like a swim I think this is scaremongering


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## crazywildcat (Nov 16, 2012)

My dog loves to swim in the sea but I hardly get the chance to go there.


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## God dog (Nov 10, 2012)

i like ponds


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## magicmike (Jun 7, 2012)

Very informative. I'm sure a lot of people wasn't aware of that. Now we'll know what to watch out for.


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## Johnmorrison (Jan 16, 2013)

i like both animales but mostly like cats and dogs ...


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## FEJA JUODAS (May 19, 2010)

It seems the diseases of stagnant water are tremendous, my vet reminded me that the disease LEPTOSPIROSE can be contracted from drinking infected by droppings of rats and mice in puddles even as well as ditches ponds lakes where rodents excrete. stopping my dogs from drinking in such places is not easy.


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## SleepyBones (Apr 17, 2011)

I knew an owner whose dog died with it, nothing anyone can do if affected and apparently its a horrendous painful end. 

The only thing i can ad is that the blue green way it appears its one of around a hundred or more strains of blue green algea & we cant tell which one any of them are


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## ackerleynelson (Feb 14, 2013)

My dog loves to jump in the water whether it is standing or flowing but I was unknown to the fact you have told. Thanks a lot for sharing such an informative post.


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## Babbo (Feb 6, 2013)

Local to me clumber park and rufford suffer really bad from it at certain times of the year


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## Hanlou (Oct 29, 2012)

Babbo said:


> Local to me clumber park and rufford suffer really bad from it at certain times of the year


Yes - the weed at Clumber last year was awful too - made it quite smelly in summer!

At Rufford they do put warning signs up. Although with a Dog Control order now in place at Rufford all dogs have to be kept on lead there at all times now anyway.

My two are from the rescue near Clumber at Babworth.


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## laylaecousen (Mar 14, 2013)

This is the reason why I don't allow my pet to swim in lakes when we are out for a camping.


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## ackerleynelson (Feb 14, 2013)

It is a good thing that you don't allow them to do so as prevention is better than cure.


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## Babbo (Feb 6, 2013)

My three local parks have huge lakes and this is always a problem!! I have to keep my three on a long line to protect them


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## lab (Mar 27, 2013)

thanks for this post. my dog sometimes jumps to the lake and its dirty and no matter what i say she just love jumping in


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## Emilyyu (May 15, 2013)

It seems that dogs are born to swim. Since they cannot swim very well, usually they will not jump into the water easily unless it is very hot or under emergent situations.


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## MeganLouise95 (Jun 7, 2013)

Really good post my dog loves swimming in the pond on the moors by my house. Will have to keep her on a lead as we're passing next time 

Very helpful thank you!!


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## SillyTilly82 (Feb 23, 2013)

Hi, my Tilly jumped in a pond today with blue/green algae in. She was only in about 15-20 seconds and was green when she came out  I bathed her as soon as we got in and so far she is seeming fine. If she has been affected by it, when would I see any symptoms?

She usually has 99% recall, unfortunately this was the 1% where she didnt


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## bay20 (Aug 14, 2013)

Nonnie said:


> Are owners aware of the dangers of blue green algae?
> 
> There was something on the news this morning that jogged my memory. Its mainly related to standing water, so flowing streams and rivers are usually safe.
> 
> Dog owners warned against letting pets swim in lakes after poisonous algae found flourishing in hot weather | Mail Online


I think my dog suffered with something related to this on the weekend. after jumping in a pond whilst walking we had a horrible incident at 2am that night where i was woken by my very distressed dog and ran down stairs to find a soiled crate  like nothing i had ever seen (or smelt) before. he was so upset with himself poor thing and two hours later i was still cleaning up. i could only put this down to the water he went in and more than likely drank. he doesnt even poop in our garden let alone the house! if only he knew to whine before he needed to go, not afterbut he has never whined to go outside  so i also take heed of this warning, although not the blue green poisoning i do believe the stagnant water had an effect.


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## WilmaDog (Jul 13, 2013)

My dog swims in anything. I'm not so worried about bugs in the water as the dead animals she always seems to find in there!


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## JordanWalker (Aug 13, 2013)

I didn't know that a blue green algae is dangerous to dogs. My dog "LUCKY" swam on the lake nearby once. Couple of days after I noticed that he's getting weak. It seems that he was sick so I went to our nearest vet clinic to had him check up and he asked me if my dog had drink a contaminated water I told him that I always gave him a clean water. Maybe Lucky was poisoned by cyanobacteria that he got from swimming in the lake.


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## Jackdown1990 (Aug 22, 2013)

Thanks for this i was unaware f this and my dog will be no longer allowed to jump in lakes and ponds now! Glad i heard this before anything had happen to them!


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Some strains of BACTERIA can detox water after contamination by blue-green algal toxins:

Novel Bacterial Strains Clear Algal Toxins From Drinking Water

"microcystins... are released into the water [by the blue-green algae] & are easily ingested by animals & humans 
who drink, swim or bathe in the contaminated water. 
...the toxins attack liver cells, causing acute & chronic poisoning. Conventional methods for water treatment 
such as sedimentation, sand filtration, flocculation & chlorination do not remove microcystins.

...more than 10 bacterial strains [were found, which can] metabolize microcystins, breaking them down into 
harmless non-toxic materials. 
The Arthrobacter, Brevibacterium & Rhodococcus species were able to break down 6 common microcystins.

6 of the strains were *incubated in river water* with variants of the toxin to *simulate natural conditions*; 
all 6 were able to degrade the microcystins."

More info:
Cracking the blue-green code: Study of gene expression in blue-green algae reveals what makes it bloom, toxic

To read the articles WITHOUT the irritating clutter of ads, click on "PRINT" & read ad-free. :yesnod:
.
.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

it's not ONLY impounded waters that are affected; bays, rivers, enormous lakes, creeks, etc,
can be affected by cyanobacteria blooms. Marine or freshwater can be toxic. It's not always "visible".

FAQs:
Blue-green Algae Frequently Asked Questions

LAKE ERIE - one of the 5 Great Lakes of the USA, which together contain over 1/5th of the world's fresh water - 
is currently suffering a massive bloom:
Algae Bloom may affect the Water Quality along the Shoreline in Leamington | Austrian Tribune

FIVE lakes in Kentucky currently have blooms that are up to TEN TIMES the level for "concern" - 
http://www.courier-journal.com/arti...060069/Kentucky-wrestles-how-deal-toxic-algae

The state has tested 12 more lakes, but refuses to release the results, saying they are "preliminary" - 
a biologist said that there are most likely multiple lakes that are currently hazardous, not only the 5
overseen by the Army Corps of Engineers. 

The take-home message is that U often can't see it, it isn't "only" standing water, & safe beats sorry.
If the water isn't tested [beaches, etc], i'd suggest not entering it, nor allowing dogs to swim or drink.


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