DOG walkers are being warned not to let animals drink from dams that look discoloured after dead animals were found floating in a pond at Mount Martha public golf course on Tuesday 6 December.
The deaths are suspected to have been caused by algae that appeared after a combination of heavy rain, nutrient runoff and warm weather.
A resident who noticed the animals when walking her dogs said it was a distressing to see a dead adult duck, a turtle and four ducklings floating in the murky water, which appeared to have a slimy film on the surface and a green tinge.
It is believed geese and ducks at a waterway in Dunns Road have also recently suffered the same fate due to algal blooms, which can be toxic and reduce oxygen levels in the water when they die off.
The main cause of algal blooms is phosphorus, an element used widely to fertilise crops and lawns that can run off from the land during heavy rain.
The Victorian Department of Health says organisms that make up blue algal blooms are known to cause poisoning in dogs, cats, livestock, wildlife, birds, fish and even humans.
Contact with affected water can cause skin irritation, mild respiratory effects and hay fever-like symptoms, while ingesting the toxins can cause gastroenteritis symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and headaches.
Dogs can be affected when they drink from or swim in contaminated water sources. The toxins can also have an effect on the liver and the nervous system.
The department says pets that do come into contact with affected water should be washed off thoroughly with fresh water before drying so they do not swallow algae while grooming their fur.
First published in the Mornington News – 13 December 2022
