Dog owners, beware! You may have heard about cyanobacteria. It’s common in the southeast United States, but can be found pretty much anywhere in the country. It’s bacteria that is produced by blue-green algae that is found in naturally occurring water sources, and it can cause liver failure and death if ingested by dogs. Symptoms are often not displayed until it is too late, so you definitely want to avoid this with pets and young children!

Central Park is a super-popular area for dog walkers, but pet lovers need to be wary. Harmful algal blooms were discovered in a pond there. The bacteria can be harmful to children and pets, with many dogs dying after swimming in infested waters.
Henry Faber/Flickr
Cyanobacteria is a type of bacteria that is sometimes released when algae photosynthesizes sunlight to produce food for itself.
Argonne National Laboratory/Flickr
While sometimes the algal blooms will be evident on the water's surface, not all visible algae is harmful. It's best to err on the side of caution and not allow dogs in ponds and take care with children that may accidentally ingest the water.
Lamoit/Wikimedia Commons

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Harmful algae blooms have also been discovered in New York City's Prospect Park, another popular spot for dog owners.
drpavloff/Flickr
It may be tough when Fido loves water, but try to keep them out of ponds if at all possible. Even if they don't consume the water directly, licking algae off their fur can result in death in just a few hours.
marneejill/Flickr
Ponds like this one in Central Park are gorgeous places for dog walks, but you don't want to cause harm to your furry family members by letting them play in toxic water!
gigi_nyc/Flickr

For more information about harmful algal blooms, check out the New York State Federation of Lake Associations website. Stay safe out there, dog owners!

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