Contacts:
David B. MacNeill, New York Sea Grant, E: dbm4@cornell.edu, P: 315.312.3042
Kara Lynn Dunn, Publicist, E: karalynn@gisco.net, P: 315-465-7578
Oswego, NY, May 23, 2016 - As air and water temperatures warm, New York Sea Grant is reminding people with dogs that enjoy waterfront areas about the health risk posed by harmful algal blooms or HABs. Freshwater HABs are overgrowths of blue-green algae, known as cyanobacteria, that impact water quality and may produce deadly toxins.
David B. MacNeill, a New York Sea Grant Fisheries Specialist based in Oswego, NY, developed a Dogs and Harmful Algal Blooms Fact Sheet after learning of increasing reports of canine illness and deaths in areas impacted by algal blooms.
The Dogs and Harmful Algal Blooms Fact Sheet (pdf) answers these critical questions:
- What are harmful algal blooms?
- When are HABS most likely to occur?
- What do HABs look like?
- How do you know if HAB toxins are present?
- What are signs of possible cyanobacterial poisoning in dogs?
- How can you reduce the risk to dogs from cyanobacterial toxins?
- How can I report a possible HAB in New York State?
- How can I reach a 24-Hour Pet Poison Hotline?
"Harmful algal blooms are an issue that impacts the entire Great Lakes region. Dog owners need to be more aware of the potential risk from HABs and learn ways to reduce that risk to protect their pets. An ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure where dogs and HABs are concerned," said MacNeill.
Cyanobacteria can produce toxins that can impact liver function, disrupt the nervous system, and cause skin irritation in dogs that ingest the toxins from drinking from lakes, ponds, and mudholes along infected waters; from cleaning wet fur; and from eating waterfront debris.
To develop the Dogs and Harmful Algal Blooms Fact Sheet, MacNeill enlisted the aid of veterinarians and toxicologists with the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, US Environmental Protection Agency, NOAA National Ocean Service, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, and Sea Grant Network colleagues.
MacNeill has organized several workshops to broaden the science and understanding of HABS by coastal stakeholders, including researchers, waterfront resource managers, community and public health leaders, marina operators and other business owners, and sportsmen and citizen groups.
"The more we know and share about harmful algal blooms and their impact, the better we can address coordinated ways to minimize that impact on people, animals, the environment, and coastal communities," MacNeill said.
More Info: New York Sea Grant
New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University
and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based
programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP
engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting
scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed
to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our
aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated
services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental
sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great
Lakes resources since 1971.
New York Sea Grant maintains Great Lakes offices at SUNY Buffalo, the
Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark and at SUNY Oswego.
In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University
and Stony Brook Manhattan, in the Hudson Valley through Cooperative
Extension in Kingston and at Brooklyn College.
For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published several times a year.
