Dog owner warns of river dangers after tragedy

A "heartbroken" woman whose dog died from a gastrointestinal illness during the recent heatwave is warning pet owners to be careful when it comes to letting them paddle in rivers and lakes.

Jennifer Craig said her miniature labradoodle Luna was diagnosed with acute hemorrhagic diarrhoea syndrome (AHDS) after paddling in the River Tone in Somerset.

Although Craig does not know if poor water quality caused the dog's illness, she said paddling was her last activity before she died.

Mount Vets in Wellington, which treated Luna, said it was seeing an increased number of dogs with gastrointestinal diseases but that there was not yet an established link between the cases.

Craig said Luna jumped into the River Tone close to Bradford-on-Tone two weeks ago while on her usual walk.

She later took Luna to the vet for an injured claw but she then developed AHDS.

The illness has more widely been linked to toxins produced during the proliferation of the bacteria C. perfringens in dogs' intestines.

"[Luna] became very unwell and ended up needing a blood transfusion and also surgery because her guts and intestines were just not functioning properly," Craig said.

Luna did not recover and had to be put down after a week of treatment.

Craig said that, while she may never know what caused her dog's illness, she wanted to make fellow owners aware of the risks.

"Some of our rivers and waterways really can be hiding lots of nasties that you're not aware of," she said.

"There's an increased rise in bacteria as well as blue algae and that can be particularly prevalent in the hotter weather, which is when we all want to take our dogs out."

Craig said losing Luna had been "heartbreaking".

"Luna was a really big part of our family and she was still really young, she was only five," she said.

Eric Chant, the director of Mount Vets, said: "We have seen an increased number of cases of dogs with gastrointestinal disease being presented to our veterinary practice in Wellington.

"Signs have ranged from mild to severe diarrhea, sometimes with blood in the dog's stool.

"Mild cases are being treated on an outpatient basis, whereas more severe cases require hospitalisation in our isolation ward, intravenous fluid therapy, and appropriate medication.

"So far, we have not found a connection between the cases, or a link to a single infectious agent, geographical area or river.

"We are continuing to collect data about each case to look for a connection, however."

He added that owners whose dogs have developed symptoms should contact their vet and give the pets plain food and plenty of water.

Somerset Council has been contacted for comment.

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