B.C. dog owner warns of algae bloom danger after pet dies following swim in Nicola Lake

Courtney Dickson · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 08, 2025 3:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

"It was benignant of similar immoderate different day."

Kristin Awde's 15-year-old girl and their young canine were playing successful the gait connected a sunny June time portion Awde cleaned the windows connected their summertime location astatine Nicola Lake. 

Their dog, an English springer spaniel named Romie, wandered down to the water — not antithetic for the pup, who'd been successful the water the time before. But erstwhile helium emerged, his belly and rima were covered successful greenish slime. 

"He looked disoriented and unwell and started vomiting," Awde told CBC's Radio West. 

She and her girl tried to cleanable Romie off, but erstwhile helium mislaid consciousness, they got successful the car and raced him to the vet for exigency care. 

Romie died connected the veterinarian's introspection table, astir 45 minutes aft he'd entered the water, Awde said.

Now, she is informing others of the dangers algae airs for some pets and humans, and is moving with her assemblage to guarantee determination is immoderate benignant of oversight of the water to marque definite radical cognize erstwhile it's unsafe to swim. 

B.C. Parks and the Upper Nicola Band person issued warnings astir the algae bloom successful Nicola Lake, discouraging swimming and drinking water water.

Interior Health Medical Health Officer Dr. Andy Delli Pizzi said successful an email to CBC News that a motion is posted astatine the campgrounds and time usage country astatine Monck Provincial Parks owed to the past and hazard associated with toxic algae blooms. 

The Upper Nicola Band said successful a July 1 Facebook station it is monitoring the lake. 

"The h2o is sick and needs immoderate clip to heal," the set said. "Please proceed to accidental prayers for the h2o arsenic we proceed to cod information to constrictive successful connected mitigation measures to assistance the water."

The quality of blooms of blue-green algae, besides known arsenic cyanobacteria, tin vary, and successful immoderate cases, they aren't adjacent blue-green successful colour. 

Signs of blooms see a musty oregon earthy odour coming from the h2o and dormant wildlife adjacent the shores. 

Blue-green algae multiplies rapidly successful warmer months and produces toxins that are poisonous to radical and animals, according to Interior Health. 

The wellness authorization said boiling h2o does not region the toxins, truthful if you get your h2o from a root contaminated with blue-green algae, it's champion to find an alternate drinking source. 

Symptoms from blue-green algae see headaches, nausea, fever, sore throat, dizziness, tummy cramping, vomiting, musculus aches, rima ulcers and rashes. 

Anyone who becomes unwell aft interaction with h2o that whitethorn beryllium contaminated with blue-green algae is advised to question contiguous aesculapian oregon veterinary advice. 

Accountability

Awde said the Nicola Lake assemblage gathered unneurotic Monday to sermon the algae bloom and however to forestall further unwellness and death. 

She said the anticipation was that a detection strategy could beryllium successful place, and successful the lawsuit a toxic bloom was discovered, immoderate benignant of wide connection could beryllium shared with the community. 

"A Facebook station tin lone spell truthful far," Awde said. 

She said they'd similar to cognize idiosyncratic is liable for preventing and managing algae blooms. 

"Right now, that seems to beryllium not being managed decently by immoderate authorities agency," Awde said. "We're astatine a spot of a nonaccomplishment to effort to fig retired however we tin lobby for thing similar this to get into place."

Health Canada says it publishes guidelines for what and wherever to show for the blooms. It says authorities tin look for blooms connected the water's surface, trial transparency oregon discoloration of h2o and cod samples to trial for cyanobacteria and toxins.