Biologists are testing algae from Lake Travis following the death of a dog on the Fourth of July.
LCRA said on Friday, they received a report about a dog that died on Thursday after it swam near Point Venture in Lake Travis.
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Samples of algae and water were taken from the area but those results will not be available for several days.
LCRA urged dog owners to keep their pets away from algae in the Highland Lakes, which include Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, Travis and Austin lakes.
Pets should also be kept out of Lake Travis near Point Venture, LCRA states.
“Freshwater algae play an important role in aquatic ecosystems. Most algae are harmless, but some species (notably cyanobacteria or blue-green algae) can on occasion produce toxins that can be dangerous to animals and people. These events are known as harmful algal blooms, or HABs, when they occur suspended in the water column,” LCRA’s website states.
LCRA states it regularly tests water in its lakes and water samples have not detected cyanotoxins that would be harmful to humans or pets. Algae, however, has consistently detected high levels of cyanotoxins.
Dogs that come into contact with toxic algae will likely experience the following symptoms: drooling, rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, difficulty breathing, loss of energy and appetite, stumbling and falling, foaming at the mouth, seizures, and even death.
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