Warning of Toxic Algae Bloom to Dog Owners in Hopkinton

I wrote just last week about the toxic algae blooms in our area carrying Cyanobacteria.  Now WHDH is reporting that officials have issued a warning to all dog owners to keep their dogs, and themselves, out of the water at Hopkinton State Park.

The water will be retested until the bacteria levels are within acceptable limits, the news channel reports.

Cyanobacteria can be lethal to dogs, and according to WHDH, three dogs in North Carolina died early this month after swimming in a lake that contained the deadly bacteria.

The blue-green algae can cause nausea, fever, headaches and mouth ulcers in humans.

One can only imagine that to our dogs the lake looks like fun, and they are so much smaller, it hits them hardest and can be deadly.

My dog Apollo has never met a body of water he didn’t like and if he sees water, I can’t stop him from getting in.  The best strategy is to avoid the area until this algae bloom dies off.

Dogs depend on us humans to protect them from dangers they can’t understand.