Dogs die after swimming in Salamonie Reservoir

ANDREWS, Ind. (WANE)--What began as playtime with the pets turned fatal at the Salamonie Reservoir Sunday.  A couple from Wabash was playing fetch with four dogs in the water.  24-hours later, two of those animals were dead.  The couple is blaming high levels of blue-green algae.

Salamonie Reservoir is a place Larry and Marge Young frequently play with their dogs.  But Sunday’s good time suddenly took a turn for the worse for their three dogs and their daughter’s Labrador.

“Within two hours one of them was deathly ill and was dead within 12 or 14 hours,” Larry Young said.  “The second died within 24 hours.”

Friday Update: As of Friday morning, Marge Young said the two other dogs seemed to be doing better and acting as though back to normal. She thinks they may have liver damage but believes they will make a full recovery.

The reason wasn't clear to the Youngs at the time, but they think the killer was a toxic blue-green algae hiding in the water.  The Youngs said their vet told them blue-green algae was behind at least one of their dogs’ deaths.  The Board of Animal Health is still gathering information on the dog deaths and couldn't confirm or deny that blue-green algae killed the dogs. 

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has sampled the water at Salamonie.  A health alert is issued if 100,000 cells of blue-green algae are found in the sample.  On July 9, crews found a cell count of more than a million in its Salamonie sample.  That’s why the DNR has been handing out fliers and posting warnings on its website.

“When we have so many areas open to the public where we don't have initial contact to the public, it's difficult to get the word out to everyone,” said Dennis White, Salamonie Reservoir Property Manager.

The Youngs didn't get that memo at an alcove on the west end of the reservoir.

“There was nothing posted here,” Marge Young said.  “As I understand it, there were postings on the website and at the entrances of the park.  But how many people go to those entrances or the website before they take a trip to the reservoir for a dip in the water?”

In light of the tragedy, the Youngs hope to spread the word of how dangerous the reservoir can be, before it’s too late.

“It's sad, very sad.  We take our pets very seriously,” Marge Young said.  “We do have another dog and we still have our daughters' dog.  But we lost two good dogs.”

Salamonie Reservoir is still open to boaters and swimmers at their own risk.  The DNR said that's because the algae is only located in centralized locations.

Leaders say people who use the reservoir and their pets should avoid ingesting the water and avoid contact with surface scums.  But targeting areas with blue-green algae can been tricky.  Leaders with IDEM said sometimes the algae looks like normal lake water , which is why they urge extreme caution if you choose to use the reservoir.