A HEARTBROKEN dog lover who watched as his beloved pet died an agonising death from poisoning has appealed to authorities to erect signs warning the public of possible dangers to prevent it happening to other dogs.
John Lyne was walking his five-year-old Westie, Fletcher, in Killarney National Park at Knockreer last Saturday afternoon and he removed the lead to allow him to cool down, very briefly, in the River Deenagh.
Within hours he noticed that Fletcher had become restless and agitated and the dog later vomited before collapsing in the kitchen at home.
The rapidly failing pet was rushed to the vet-on-call and treated immediately but the damage was irreparable and he died in the early hours of Sunday morning.
John Lyne – known to all as Lyno – is a familiar sight in Killarney where he walked Fletcher on the streets and in the parks several times a day. He took great pride in the fact that his canine companion was often described as the fittest dog in town.
Vet Danny O’Sullivan of the All-Care Veterinary Clinic, where Fletcher was treated, said he displayed the classic symptoms of blue-green algae poisoning which had been a problem in the park in Killarney over the years.
“The convulsions, muscle tremors, diarrhoea and vomiting are all very distinctive. The suddenness of the onset of the illness in a dog that was young, fit and bouncing around the place before he entered the water gives real cause for concern,” he said.
“The algae can be lethal – the dogs don’t even have to drink it but if they lick their coats after entering the water, it can kill them,” the experienced vet added.
In the absence of proof that Fletcher’s death was due to algae poisoning, the veterinary surgeon pleaded with people walking their dogs to keep them on a lead at all times and not to allow them enter the water or drink from it.
“It can be very dangerous and often fatal. We don’t know for sure that this was algae-related but it certainly looks that way. He did pick up the poison in some way.
“Poor Fletcher died within hours, despite intensive treatment, and his owner is devastated,” he said.
John Lyne, meanwhile, said he is struggling to come to terms with the loss of the playful terrier that was always by his side.
“I would not like to see any other dog suffer that kind of death. I’m very broken up over this,” he said.
“It’s a very quiet house now with no Fletcher running about the place and it’s awful when you come through the door and he’s not there to welcome you,” John added.
“I don’t know if this was algae poisoning or not but if there is even a remote danger of it in the park, I plead with them to erect signs to warn people”.
In July of last year Kerry County Council erected precautionary warning signs after toxic blue-green algae – made from Cyanobacteria which feed on nutrients in water – appeared in Lough Lein.
A major outbreak of the toxic bloom in 2016 on the lake shore has been linked to the deaths of a number of dogs.
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