Blue-Green Algae & Seizures in Dogs

The Center for Disease Control defines blue-green algae as cyanobacteria that live in water and produce food through photosynthesis. They survive equally well in brackish, fresh and salt water. In warm conditions, they sometimes form enormous blooms or CyanoHABs. These are recognizable as blue-green, brown or white floating mats. They can produce potent toxins. They're responsible for causing illnesses in humans and animals exposed to them by drinking, swimming or washing in water where a bloom is present.

Neurotoxins in Blue-Green Algae

Some blue-green algae CyanoHABs are capable of producing exceptionally powerful toxins, for which no antidotes have yet been found. Determining whether algae in a body of water is toxic often happens only when a dog becomes sick after swimming in or drinking the water. Different strains of blue-green algae produce neurotoxins that cause different symptoms. These neurotoxins are Anatoxin-a, Anatoxin-s, Saxitoxin and Neosaxitoxin. Anatoxin-a is known to cause seizures.

Time Frame

Dogs exposed to one of these neurotoxins will develop symptoms as soon as 15 to 20 minutes later. Symptoms include excessive salivation, respiratory distress, lack of coordination and weakness in addition to seizures. Some dogs may be fine after swimming in blue-green-algae infested waters, only to develop symptoms after ingesting the toxins when they clean algae from their coats.

Dog Deaths from Blue-Green Algae

Between 2001 and 2004, nine dogs died in after swimming in South Fork Eel River and Big Lagoon and river in California's Mendocino and Humboldt counties. Autopsies on three dogs that swam in the river revealed they had ingested Anatoxin-a, produced by blue-green algae.

Treatment

Dogs suffering from blue-green algae poisoning need immediate veterinary treatment. Although there is no known antidote to these toxins, supportive care may keep an animal alive. Using activated charcoal to absorb the toxins and flush them from his system may be helpful. Induced vomiting may also work by preventing the toxins still in the animal's stomach from affecting his other organs. Some vets may administer atropine to regulate the animal's seizures.

Prevention

Protect dogs from algae-related seizures by keeping them from drinking or swimming in water that is either discolored or has blue-green, brown, blue or white mats, foam or scum floating on it. Immediately rinse with clean water any dog that swims in blue-green algae. Hunters should carry plenty of fresh clean water for their dogs in the field; waterfowl hunters should limit their hunting to areas where the water is free of infestation. Property owners can fence off affected waters on their land and destroy the algae by sprinkling it with copper sulfate from their garden store at a strength of 1ppm.

References

• Center for Disease Control
• County of Humboldt Department of Health and Human Services
• State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Resources

• State Water Resources Control Board of California
• South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service
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