BREAKING
The ongoing count of absentee ballots in B.C.鈥檚 nail-biting 2024 provincial election has put the NDP ahead of the Conservatives in the Surrey-Guildford riding.
An Ontario woman is warning dog owners of the dangers of blue-green algae after her puppy ingested the toxic bacteria and died within hours.
Stephanie Cross said she and her family got a Doberman puppy named Zoe in August of last year.
鈥淪he was such an amazing dog. We have three young boys and she was just amazing. Literally, the perfect dog,鈥 she told CTVNews.ca during a telephone interview on Thursday.
Last week, Cross and her family and their one-year-old puppy visited friends who had a small man-made pool filled with algae, lily pads, and frogs on their property. She said they had recently pumped the water out of the pool because they were planning to fill it in.
鈥淭hey pumped out pool and what came out of the pool was all that gunk and like pine cones and whatever else was in the pool,鈥 she explained.
Cross, who lives in King City, Ont., said Zoe had eaten some of the 鈥済unk鈥 from the pool, but they didn鈥檛 think anything of it at the time because the puppy was always eating stuff outside.
鈥淪he eats sticks and like all different things. She鈥檚 a puppy,鈥 she said. 鈥淟ike in our mind, it鈥檚 just some stuff from like nature, right?鈥
Later that night, however, Cross said she woke up to the puppy going downstairs, which was unusual.
鈥淚 followed her thinking maybe she just needed out, so I let her out and I could see she was sick. She had thrown up, she was having diarrhea,鈥 she recalled.
At first, Cross said she wasn鈥檛 too concerned because she assumed her puppy had just eaten something that disagreed with her. It was until she noticed that Zoe was having trouble walking that she became alarmed.
鈥淪he could hardly keep her eyes open and like all this foam and saliva was just dripping out of her mouth,鈥 she said.
At 1:30 a.m., the family rushed Zoe to an emergency veterinary clinic where they were told the puppy had some form of poisoning.
The puppy was given an IV and put on an electrocardiogram (ECG) to monitor her heart because her heart rate was low, Cross said.
Despite their interventions, Zoe鈥檚 condition continued to deteriorate and she died of kidney failure later that afternoon.
鈥淭hey brought her into us and she's hooked up to all these machines and stuff. And then we were in there for like 30 seconds, all of us with her, and then everything was beeping and then the vet said, 'Actually, I鈥檓 so sorry, but her heart just stopped,鈥欌 Cross said, choking back tears.
Cross said they found out later that Zoe had likely died from blue-green algae poisoning because she had eaten pine cones coated in the bacteria.
鈥淭hey could see something in her stomach and I guess it was the pine cone, but because the pine cone was so concentrated in this blue-green algae, it was just poisoning her,鈥 she said.
The veterinarian told them that their puppy had every single symptom of blue-green algae poisoning that affects the kidneys, Cross said.
Ian Sandler, a Toronto-based veterinarian who founded Grey Wolf Animal Health and is a member of the national issues committee for the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, said blue-green algae is a cyanobacteria that has been around for many years.
鈥淚t really thrives in primarily freshwater, and above 70 or 80 F (25 C),鈥 he said. 鈥淭he biggest problem, with climate change right now, is that we're seeing more and more blooms, if you will, these algae blooms, especially mid to late summer.鈥
Sandler said a blue-green algae bloom can appear slimy as it floats on the surface of the water, almost like 鈥渟omebody has put fluorescent green paint in the water.鈥
While the bacteria is dangerous if ingested by humans and other animals too, Sandler said dogs are more likely to ingest more of it when they鈥檙e swimming or playing near water because they will drink the water and eat different objects.
鈥淭hey'll eat things that may have algae on it, right? So they鈥檒l pick up a stick, or something that may be floating,鈥 he said.
For dog owners who suspect their pet might have come into contact with the bacteria, the of signs of blue-green algae toxicity to watch for in dogs.
For Cross, she said the most shocking part for her was how quickly her puppy died after the initial onset of symptoms.
鈥淚t happened so fast,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t was less than 24 hours.鈥
Sandler said the seriousness of the poisoning can depend on how much bacteria was ingested, the age of the dog, if they were on other medications, or if they had other concurrent illnesses.
鈥淚t鈥檚 usually very quick. It's not like a delayed onset,鈥 he said.
Cross said she wanted to share her story so that other dog owners will be aware of the potential dangers of blue-green algae.
Sandler said the main thing pet owners can do is to prevent their dog from ingesting the bacteria by keeping them out of fresh bodies of water that appears dirty, foamy or have colour floating on the surface.
鈥淛ust absolutely ensure that there they keep them out of the water. There鈥檚 no reason for them to be swimming in the algae season,鈥 he said.
The ongoing count of absentee ballots in B.C.鈥檚 nail-biting 2024 provincial election has put the NDP ahead of the Conservatives in the Surrey-Guildford riding.
A group of Cape Breton firefighters are apologizing after four people showed up at a Halloween dance dressed in what appeared to be Ku Klux Klan costumes.
Several Liberal MPs are calling for a secret ballot vote on Justin Trudeau's leadership after he made clear he isn't going anywhere in spite of the calls from within his caucus to step down.
Here's how retirees will get their funds from the federal benefit.
Marred by several delays, the trial of alleged human traffickers Lauriston and Amber Maloney finally got underway on Monday in a Bradford courtroom, with a woman who worked and lived with the couple testifying.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has granted Google a five-year exemption from the Online News Act, ordering it to pay $100 million to Canadian news outlets within 60 days.
An actor known for his roles in the television comedies 鈥淏ob's Burgers鈥 and 鈥淎rrested Development鈥 was sentenced on Monday to one year in prison for his part in a mob's attack on the U.S. Capitol nearly four years ago.
A recall has been issued for gummy candies due to pieces of wood, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
An organization that represents clothing recyclers says they鈥檙e frustrated after a W5 investigation found a fake charity and some violent players connected to organized crime have been muscling in on the clothing donation bin industry, and is calling for governments to do more.
Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.
Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.
New Brunswicker Jillea Godin鈥檚 elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as requests from celebrities for their own pieces.
A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.
Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.