Why are blue algae dangerous for dogs?
Blue algae, also sometimes called blue-green algae, are cyanobacteria. These are photosynthetic bacteria that take advantage of solar energy to make organic molecules, just like plants do.
Present everywhere on the planet, they inhabit the waters of rivers and oceans in a completely normal way. But when they proliferate in large numbers due to high summer heat, water pollution and low water levels, they can become particularly dangerous for our canine friends.During efflorescence or algal "bloom" , these bacteria are then responsible for the production of two toxins that are harmful to their central nervous system (neurotoxin) or to their liver (hepatotoxin).
In summer, a dog can become fatally poisoned by ingesting stagnant water that contains it or simply by bathing in contaminated water.
Are cyanobacteria also dangerous for humans?
Yes, absolutely! Cyanobacteria are dangerous for everyone! According to the World He alth Organization, these toxins are also very dangerous - although rarely fatal - to human beings. In humans, they can cause skin irritation, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pain and the formation of blisters around mouth and liver damage.
How to recognize cyanobacteria?
With the naked eye, these algae can be spotted quite easily by observing the surface of the water on which they form a bluish/green layer.
- Photo credit: By Lamiot - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2616805 -
They thrive in calm, nutrient-rich freshwater or marine waters during the summer months. The waters most affected are the waters where algae nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, have accumulated. This high concentration of nutrients is caused by the pollution of aquatic environments by agricultural spreading and by industrial and urban waste water discharges.
In these waters, the bacteria that accumulate form clusters (or flocs) preferentially in areas where the water stagnates such as a dead arm of a river or a puddle.
If you find yourself near a body of water contaminated by blue algae with your dog, you must therefore at all costs prevent him from coming into contact with water and swallowing it.
Are there controls?
In mainland France, several regions are regularly affected by algal blooms. It is the Regional He alth Agencies, in charge of controlling the quality of bathing water during the summer season, which generally give the alert in the event of non-compliant sampling. When a high concentration of cyanobacteria in the water is found, the authorities then take measures to ban bathing, all or part of water activities, or to ban the consumption of fishery products from the plan. contaminated water. These prohibitions are generally materialized by billboards present on the bathing site. But be aware.that water analyzes are only carried out on sites authorized for swimming. If a body of water is not listed as such then no control is carried out and no poster will warn you of the danger which is nevertheless present in the event of an algal bloom.
Canine poisoning by cyanobacteria: the signs
The symptoms of dog poisoning by cyanobacteria can be neurological if the algae involved are neurotoxic or hepatic if the algae involved are hepatotoxic.
Nerve toxic algae can cause tremors, seizures, difficulty breathing and hypersalivation. Unfortunately, they also often lead to respiratory paralysis which can result in the death of the animal very quickly after contact with blue-green algae (usually within 30 minutes).
Hepatotoxic algae act between 1 and 4 hours after ingesting contaminated water. They are the cause of a very strong depression of the dog, vomiting and diarrhea. They quite often lead to the death of the animal in 24 hours to a few days.
My dog has been poisoned by blue algae: what should I do?
Unfortunately, in the event of poisoning by cyanobacteria, the dog's state of he alth deteriorates very quickly and ends almost inexorably in his death.
But, by acting very quickly after poisoning or suspected poisoning, a veterinarian can set up a treatment that aims to eliminate as many toxins as possible, relieve the dog's symptoms and support his breathing. You must not waste a second to have any hope of saving your animal and take it as quickly as possible to the open veterinary clinic closest to the place where the contact with the blue algae occurred.
If, alas, your dog succumbs to poisoning, his death must be reported by the veterinarian to the Regional He alth Agency.