It's not a freak out event. sheesh. many, many people take their dogs to a park, lake, etc... where they've gone for years to let the dogs play in the water, fetch sticks, balls, etc... then one day the dog dies after having a great time.
I think several of you do not understand what this stuff is and are making uneducated comments.
For example, this woman's three dogs all died within hours of each other.
- Two of the dogs NEVER GOT IN THE WATER.
- The water was clear.
No one in their right mind would even think that there was something in that water that could kill their dog with just a couple licks.
Watch this video
Blue-green algae kills dogs at North Carolina pond, owner says
Interestingly enough that article includes links to the same site I posted earlier -- so as I've said in prior posts this seems like a lack of education issue that's resulting in people being surprised.
...which is surprising to me. Though I may very well be biased/confused as I grew up in MN, and may very well have been taught to watch/study the water more than most because of stuff like this (whether plant, bacterial, viral, whatever) as some of them (even in small quantities) can kill a person. Which in a land that has literally thousands of small bodies of water spread everywhere makes learning the dangers associated with open bodies of water rather important to know.
So perhaps I'm not in my right mind, but from what I was taught growing up I would expect water in lake/pond to potentially be hazardous/lethal --- and more likely to be hazardous under certain conditions (some of which may change over just a few days, or even hours depending on environmental conditions and body of water). As well as there being an increased danger for certain parts of the body of water (like around the edges where conditions tend to favor growth of a lot of different organisms).
On that note, (while it may sound absurd) we were usually told to wash our hands (or even rinse off completely) after swimming/playing around in lakes/ponds in the summer (and they weren't polluted bodies of water). At this point between things like that and the education I received checking out the water every time I'm going to be in/around it seems rather like basic water safety to me.
....though this thread is making me think that what I considered "basic water safety" many not be so basic or even taught everywhere -- which is incredibly unfortunate as it leads to things like this:
Deadly water: The Dangers of Swimming in Warm, Freshwater Lakes, Ponds and Rivers (which I only found while looking for the links like the below)
So I guess my question is: Are things like this:
5 Signs that a River or Lake is Not Safe to Swim In
(which didn't specifically include films across the top of the water even though films generally aren't a good thing to see as it means there's
something on the water) ...and she did mention seeing a film, which I'd suspect one dog got on itself and then shared (in some way) with the other two (and if there was any licking involved.... )
and these:
Steps of Healthy Swimming | Healthy Swimming | Healthy Water | CDC (mostly for pools)
Recreational Water Illnesses | Healthy Swimming | Healthy Water | CDC (generic freshwater pathogen advice/precautions)
-- not universally taught?
Not trying to be disrespectful here, but it's just hard for me to wrap my head around not knowing these sorts of things -- and even harder when it comes to not being taught these things (particularly given the potential consequences).
