The final weeks of summer weather can prompt pet owners to squeeze in as much outdoor time with their pets as possible, but Alexandra Reddy, a veterinarian with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, says to be cautious around lakes and ponds.

Warm weather can lead to algal blooms, most of which are harmless. But Reddy said the blue-green algal blooms caused by cyanobacteria are harmful to pets, as well as people.

A dog who swims or wades in water where the cyanobacteria is present can be affected in one of two ways. In the case of a toxin that attacks the liver, a dog may experience “vomiting, diarrhea,” Reddy said.

And in the case of the bacteria that affects the nervous system, “They can start to have seizures and it eventually progresses to paralysis,

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