Toxic algae again!?

We’ve got some bad news for dogs and the people who love them. The city is monitoring the blue-green algae that produces toxins which can sicken and kill dogs and has “detected low levels of dihydroanatoxin in an algae sample taken in mid-March from Lake Austin near Mansfield Dam” as well as trace levels in two samples from Lady Bird Lake. While the levels of dihydroanatoxin are too low to be harmful to humans, it poses a high risk to dogs. The city recommends that “dog owners not allow their dogs to ingest or touch algae in any area lakes, creeks or water bodies. If owners allow their dogs in the water, it is at their own risk. It may help to rinse dogs after contact with water bodies to help prevent them from licking algae off their fur.”