Dog owners warned of blue-green algae poison

KENNEL CLUB SAYS TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT

- JIM LEFFMAN AND DANIEL CLARK

THE Kennel Club are warning dog owners to be on the lookout for lethal algae after a dog died in under 45 minutes after coming into contact with blue-green algae in the first confirmed case of its kind.

Jan Egginton lost her beloved twoyear-old flat-coated retriever, Cove, at the side of Wimbleball Lake on Exmoor.

Mrs Egginton, from Worcestershire, was walking alongside the reservoir while on a training holiday with six other dogs and their owners when Cove stopped near some dead fish near the side of lake. Despite Jan's husband Paul reacting quickly to move Cove away from the area, the rapid effects of the substance had already set in and Cove passed away less than 45 minutes later.

Blue-green algae, otherwise known as cyanobacteria, is a substance that can be found in water sources such as streams, lakes, rivers, estuaries and the sea, particularly in mid-late summer, and especially after heatwaves. The substance.

can multiply rapidly, forming large "blooms" which can contaminate and pollute the water producing toxins that are deadly to wildlife.