Crying woman tells how a ‘silent killer’ took her dog’s life while he was swimming in Lake Tahoe

A beloved family dog ​​has died after eating toxic blue-green algae at a “popular dog beach” along Lake Tahoe, according to an emotional TikTok post.

“I’ve been crying for a day,” the pet owner began, titling her video “Don’t swim in Lake Tahoe this weekend” in preparation for the four-day vacation.

“I wanted to share this because I hope this saves someone’s life or someone’s dog’s life,” she said. “I’m really concerned that there’s more of the nerve agent in Lake Tahoe.”

The tragic death is just one of a global wave of similar deaths attributed to these deadly toxins, produced by cyanobacteria and microalgae, across America, according to reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the CDC, a total of 117 human illnesses and at least 2,715 deaths among pets, livestock and wildlife were documented in 16 U.S. states alone in 2021.

A total of 117 human illnesses and at least 2,715 deaths of pets, livestock and wildlife were documented in 16 U.S. states in 2021 alone, according to a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pictured above is Cora, the dog who died

Experts warn that the algae blooms are at their worst and deadliest in August, when 90 percent of the often invisible and toxic algae grows in lakes and other freshwater.

“The water was extremely clear,” the pet owner warned. “It was beautiful. The lake was beautiful. There was no reason to suspect that this could happen.”

“There were many more animals and people swimming in the water,” said TikTok user Anaïs, who calls himself “the boss.” anaisfelt on the platform, said.

“Within an hour she was very sick,” Anaïs said of her family’s dog, Cora, “and within three hours she was dead.”

“We rushed her to an emergency room in Nevada and discovered she had eaten blue-green algae,” she explained, wiping away tears. She was visibly upset.

“It basically paralyzes your whole body and there is no cure for it,” she said.

The technical term the CDC uses for these cases is “harmful algal blooms” (HABs). According to the agency’s recent report, these events are due to rising water temperatures caused by global warming, as well as a phenomenon known as “nutrient pollution.”

According to the UN, a huge influx of materials such as human waste and agricultural fertilizers has entered freshwater and coastal areas as populations grow along the coast. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Cora’s death (pictured) is just one of a global wave of similar deaths attributed to these deadly toxins, produced by cyanobacteria and microalgae around the world, mostly in freshwater bodies such as lakes. Experts warn that the blooms are deadliest in August

Unique local conditions can lead to wide variation in the chemical composition of the potential toxins produced by these blooms of blue-green algae (the informal name for these cyanobacteria).

“Complex cyanotoxin mixtures further complicate the risk assessment process for these lakes,” a team of university and government scientists explained in a 2020 article for the journal Toxic‘given the uncertainty in the toxicology of mixtures.’

Regardless, these researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of California at Santa Cruz, the EPA and other organizations stressed the “need for future monitoring efforts to minimize exposure to humans and pets.”

In the meantime, veterinary experts advise dog owners to only let their pets swim in “clean, running water — creeks, rivers or the ocean.”

Veterinarians and government agencies, such as Utah Department of Environmental Qualityadvise to keep dogs away from algae mats, foam or discolorations that resemble ‘pea soup, spilled paint or water with a green or blue-green tint’.

Make sure you bring fresh, clean drinking water from home for yourself and your pet. This will also reduce the risk of cyanotoxins in algal blooms.

As Anaïs warned her followers on this past Independence Day, “The neurotoxin can also affect humans. It can affect anyone: cats, humans… and there were no signs.”

According to the California Water Boards, even the warning signs normally posted, known as a “Planktonic HAB (Harmful Algal Bloom) warning,” are voluntary at Lake Tahoe

“I don’t know if this is true, but the vet who helped us told us they don’t do any testing on the water to prevent this,” the grieving pet owner said.

“They just wait until the dogs die, and then they know they have to warn people.”

In fact, according to the California water boardsEven the warning signs normally posted, known as ‘Planktonic HAB warning’, are voluntary at Lake Tahoe.

“Planktonic HAB warning signs shall be voluntarily posted whenever laboratory results confirm the presence of HABs in the water,” the council said, “or when visual indicators (e.g. discoloration, foam, soup- or paint-like appearance) are observed.”

“A warning sign for planktonic HAB may also be posted in response to and during the investigation of a report of possible HAB-related disease in humans or animals,” the researchers said.

But such reactive government measures, while helpful in preventing further death and disease, are of little comfort to people like them, whose loved ones and pets serve as the metaphorical canaries in the coal mine.

“Our lives will never be the same,” Anaïs told her TikTok followers. “She was the heart and soul of our family.”