Warning after reports dog is taken sick after trip to Winthorpe beach

Dog owners are being warned to keep their pets out of the sea after a pet was taken sick over the weekend, ANL-180827-074312001

The dog’s owner took to social media to warn there may be neurotoxins, possibly blue green algae or similar cyanobacteria, in the water following an emergency trip to the vets on Thursday.

“We had to rush our five-year-old dog to the vets in a very bad way,” the caravanner who has been coming to the area for more than 35 years said. “He was perfectly well at 6pm when he went into his cage for meals as we have four dogs. At 7pm, when let them out, he couldn’t stand and was having spasms - he was petrified. It was like he had a stroke except he had power in all the limbs.

“By the time we were halfway to Spilsby emergency vets, he started in a seizure and was not breathing during the seizure. At the vets he had more seizures.

“They immediately said neurotoxin with symptoms as he’s normally fit and well. Only two of our dogs went in the sea. The other one is fine but she doesn’t clean herself like the boy - in fact he had been licking her clean too.

“The vet was great, with very aggressive treatment our boy has pulled through and is far better now. If we had been 1 hour later getting him to the vets he wouldn’t of survived.”

The dog’s owner added: “We’ve never come across anything like this in the sea.

“It can kill dogs who go down very quickly and not necessarily on the beach but when the lick themselves clean later.

“We have since been told it was higher up the coast in Chapel a few days before but we were unaware, so it could have reached Skegness by now.

“This year’s high temperatures have been perfect conditions for the growth. It doesn’t have to be big obvious blooms. It wasn’t obvious to us.

“We have been told to keep the dogs and kids out of the sea at the moment.”

Since the warning was posted on Facebook it has been shared by many concerned pet owners.

The Standard understands the Environment Agency have been informed and the water is being tested. Anyone who spots anything suspicious on the beach should call the Environment Agency incident line on 0800 80 70 60.