B.C. dog owner warns of algae bloom danger after pet dies following swim in Nicola Lake

"It was kind of like any other day."

Kristin Awde's 15-year-old daughter and their young dog were playing in the yard on a sunny June day while Awde cleaned the windows on their summer home at Nicola Lake. 

Their dog, an English springer spaniel named Romie, wandered down to the lake — not unusual for the pup, who'd been in the lake the day before. But when he emerged, his belly and mouth were covered in green slime. 

"He looked disoriented and unwell and started vomiting," Awde told CBC's Radio West. 

She and her daughter tried to clean Romie off, but when he lost consciousness, they got in the car and raced him to the vet for emergency care. 

Romie died on the veterinarian's examination table, about 45 minutes after he'd entered the water, Awde said.

Now, she is warning others of the dangers algae pose for both pets and humans, and is working with her community to ensure there is some sort of oversight of the lake to make sure people know when it's unsafe to swim. 

B.C. Parks and the Upper Nicola Band have issued warnings about the algae bloom in Nicola Lake, discouraging swimming and drinking lake water.

Interior Health Medical Health Officer Dr. Andy Delli Pizzi said in an email to CBC News that a sign is posted at the campgrounds and day use area at Monck Provincial Parks due to the history and risk associated with toxic algae blooms. 

The Upper Nicola Band said in a July 1 Facebook post it is monitoring the lake. 

"The water is sick and needs some time to heal," the band said. "Please continue to say prayers for the water as we continue to collect data to narrow in on mitigation measures to help the water."

The appearance of blooms of blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, can vary, and in some cases, they aren't even blue-green in colour. 

Signs of blooms include a musty or earthy odour coming from the water and dead wildlife near the shores. 

Blue-green algae multiplies quickly in warmer months and produces toxins that are poisonous to people and animals, according to Interior Health. 

The health authority said boiling water does not remove the toxins, so if you get your water from a source contaminated with blue-green algae, it's best to find an alternate drinking source. 

Symptoms from blue-green algae include headaches, nausea, fever, sore throat, dizziness, stomach cramping, vomiting, muscle aches, mouth ulcers and rashes. 

Anyone who becomes unwell after contact with water that may be contaminated with blue-green algae is advised to seek immediate medical or veterinary advice. 

Accountability

Awde said the Nicola Lake community gathered together Monday to discuss the algae bloom and how to prevent further illness and death. 

She said the hope was that a detection system could be in place, and in the event a toxic bloom was discovered, some sort of mass communication could be shared with the community. 

"A Facebook post can only go so far," Awde said. 

She said they'd like to know someone is responsible for preventing and managing algae blooms. 

"Right now, that seems to be not being managed properly by any government agency," Awde said. "We're at a bit of a loss to try to figure out how we can lobby for something like this to get into place."

Health Canada says it publishes guidelines for what and where to monitor for the blooms. It says authorities can look for blooms on the water's surface, test transparency or discoloration of water and collect samples to test for cyanobacteria and toxins.