Owners of a dog who died after swimming in Nicola Lake near Merritt, B.C., are warning about the dangers of blue-green algae.
Kristin Awde told Global News that her seven-month-old puppy, Romie, became ill and died after being in the water on June 30.
A group gathered at the lake on Monday to raise awareness and demand that something be done to contain the outbreak.
In an online post on Canada Day, Phases Veterinary Emergency Hospital in Kamloops posted that over the weekend they have treated several suspected cases of blue-green algae from the Nicola Lake region.
“This type of algae is highly toxic, potentially leading to death in a matter of hours. We have yet to confirm these cases, however, we recommend avoiding these areas and keeping pets out of the water,” the organization wrote.
Maple Ridge vet, Dr. Adrian Walton, told Global News that runoff from farm and dairy operations can get flushed into some of the local streams. When the weather is sunny and hot, algae blooms can occur.
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“The most one is this thing called cyanobacteria,” Walton said.
“It’s a type of algae, but unfortunately, just like we have red tide, these algae produce these chemical compounds that will not only cause symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea, but also localized seizures. So we’ll oftentimes have these animals coming in, foaming at the mouth, and full-on clonic seizures, grand mal seizures.”
Walton added that if a dog is running through the water and swallowing too much, that can dilute the electrolytes out of the body and cause seizures.
“For blue-green algae, it’s pretty obvious,” he said.
“The water is lime green and there’s slime on the top of it, so we tend to see these especially in isolated ponds that aren’t connected to any rivers or streams, but especially here in the Pitt Meadows area, a lot of the dikes are ditches on the side of roads.
That water tends to stagnate, and we will see blue-green algae accumulating in those areas.”
Walton said people should check ponds or buckets of standing water in their backyards as well as algae can bloom there, too.
“It doesn’t take long for a dog having multiple seizures to have organ failure,” he said.
“So it’s very important to reach out to your veterinarian immediately. And if your vet’s closed, you’ve got to go to the local emergency clinic. Don’t wait till Monday. Go straight away.”
–with files from Travis Lowe
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
