An outing to a Canberra lake turned tragic in mere minutes for Miranda and her dog Scout.<\/p>\n
According to a vet, the kelpie, who loved to swim, was likely exposed to toxic blue-green algae at Lake Ginninderra on September 29.<\/p>\n
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Scout loved swimming and was described as an explorer. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
Scout could not be saved despite Miranda driving him directly from the lake to a nearby veterinary clinic.<\/p>\n
The dog owner is warning others about the algae’s deadliness, as she grieves Scout.<\/p>\n
“He was a very special boy, very smart and energetic, and loved to explore,” she said.<\/p>\n
“He was my companion and support for nearly four years.<\/p>\n
‘It was so fast’<\/p>\n
Miranda said she was aware that poor water quality was sometimes an issue in Canberra’s waterways and she “kept an eye on the signs”.<\/p>\n
But she said the lake was open on the day Scout died and no additional signs about water quality were present.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Like other artificial lakes in Canberra, areas of Lake Ginninderra in Belconnen are sometimes closed for swimming due to poor water quality. (ABC News: Joel Wilson)<\/p>\n
That afternoon, Scout was playing with a friend’s dog who was not as keen on the water.<\/p>\n
Miranda left the lake after an hour, but she said it was already too late.<\/p>\n
“On that short walk back [to the car], maybe a five-minute walk, he started tripping \u2026 and when we got to the car, he was struggling to get up into the car seat,” she recalled.<\/p>\n
“It was so fast.<\/p>\n
“When I got into the driver’s seat and I looked back at him, his eyes were just sunken in and he looked like he was trying to tell me something was very wrong.<\/p>\n
“So, I sped straight to the closest vet.”<\/p>\n
At the vet, Scout was suffering seizures, tachycardia and needed to be intubated as he could not breathe independently.<\/p>\n
‘Safest to stay away’<\/p>\n
Canberra veterinarian Eamon Ryan treated Scout, but said it was unlikely he could be saved, forcing Miranda to make the difficult choice to let him go.<\/p>\n
Dr Ryan said he believed Scout had suffered blue-green algae toxicity, with severe sickness occurring shortly after exposure.<\/p>\n
“They’ll often be a little bit wobbly, weak, vomiting and drooling. And that can fairly rapidly progress into difficulty breathing,” he said.<\/p>\n
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City Services shares water quality updates online about Lake Ginninderra. (ABC News: Luke Stephenson)<\/p>\n
Dr Ryan said Scout’s case was not isolated.<\/p>\n
“Given that we’ve had several dogs present in a short period of time, I think it’s probably safest to stay away from the lake \u2026 until things settle down,” Dr Ryan said.<\/p>\n
“At our clinic, we’ve had two in the last week with clinical symptoms supporting exposure. They were at the lake within an hour or two before presenting.”<\/p>\n
Megan Wright, the director of Canberra Veterinary Emergency Services, said they had treated three dogs for blue-green algae toxicity since June, one as recently as Monday night.<\/p>\n
She said that dog was having seizures but was successfully treated.<\/p>\n
“This was a really good outcome for the dog and it was able to go home,” she said.<\/p>\n
“However, the dog did have very extensive critical care \u2026 when the patient came in, it was seizing and within 4 hours, it had to be placed on a ventilator.”<\/p>\n
Ms Wright said all three dogs who became unwell had been at Lake Ginninderra.<\/p>\n
“We do want to let people of the community know that the risk is not necessarily with full submersion of water \u2014 it’s contact with that water and that may be something that is not as well-known,” she said.<\/p>\n
Ms Wright said given the recent cases of toxicity, closing the lake would be “appropriate”.<\/p>\n
‘No sign of increased algae’<\/p>\n