Yunue Moore and her family planned for a fun Mother’s Day hike at Anderson Lake State Park in Washington, but during their adventure things took a tragic turn.
The family’s rescue dog, Clue, died as a result.
Moore shared the disastrous event on Facebook, urging other pet owners to be on the lookout for similar bodies of water.
While walking along one of the trails that had some “marshy areas along the lakefront,” Clue, an Australian kelpie, enjoyed splashing in the water.
“The dog got in at one point up to its chest for no more than 30 seconds,” Mike Moore,Yunue’s father, told Peninsula Daily. “The dog either fell in or waded its way in, and my daughter pulled it back out because it was on a leash.”
It seemed innocent, but Yunue wrote that her family was only made aware of the potential dangers lurking in the water from a couple passing by. According to the couple, a few other dogs had passed away after coming in contact with the water which contained potentially harmful blue-green algae.
Realizing that Clue might have ingested a mouthful of water, the family rushed her to an emergency vet.
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“By the time [my daughter] got the dog back to the car, the dog was having trouble walking, and she had slight tremors,” Mike said.
Just a few short hours after Clue had been exposed to anatoxin-a, a fast-acting neurotoxin, she died.
Yunue was also treated at a hospital for exposure to the toxin, which is known to cause illness and death in both animals and humans.
According to The Dodo, the lake at the state park had been closed only three days prior due to the presence of anatoxin-a. As Yunue noted on Facebook, signs were posted alerting visitors that fishing wasn’t allowed due to toxins, but nothing was mentioned about the potential fatal consequences to animals or humans if either came in contact with the water.
“It’s very toxic, and it’s also naturally occurring,”Toni Droscher, a communications manager for state parks, told Peninsula Daily. “It happens every year at that lake, and it goes on through a lot of the year. It usually happens right after opening day of fishing season.”
Even though Yunue lost her best friend, she wants to make sure no one else experiences the same, sudden pain she went through. She ended her post with a warning for other pet parents.
“If there’s anything to come from this, I only hope it’s that nobody else experience the same pain I have today. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be cautious of letting your dogs and other animals play in stagnant fresh water, and avoid areas with algae! Especially now, as this is the time of year where algae blooms can start from the hot weather.”
Share this tragic story and let everyone know the dangers of blue-green algae.
