Harmful Algae Blooms (HAB) and your Pets/Livestock
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY (Calif.)
A third dog died Thursday after exposure to toxic algae at an East Bay park, and broken-hearted dog owners say the park district's warnings have been too little, too late.
"It's this green algae that's everywhere, it's fatally toxic to dogs", warned Katie Stone (owner of one of the stricken dogs), intercepting hikers at the Lake Chabot marina Friday evening.
"We see shock and bleeding abnormalities, and liver failure," Dr. Sharon Finster told KTVU. Finster is emergency director at Bay Area Veterinary Specialists in San Leandro, which has treated two of the dogs that succumbed.
"It's not unlike the damage we see from strychnine or rat poison," elaborated Dr. Finster, "there's almost nothing we can do to reverse it."
For the full KTVU video plus more HAB information, click here.
