Overview
- The dog owner says both pets became ill within hours of a swim on Friday and her 16-year-old dog died days later, prompting the report that led to the probe.
- The Boston Public Health Commission warned people and pets to avoid the Charles River between Kendrick Street (Needham) and Spring Street (West Roxbury) as a precaution.
- Massachusetts DPH visited the site, collected water samples for cyanobacteria cells and toxin testing, and officials say laboratory results are expected Thursday.
- Veterinarians warn cyanobacteria toxins can cause rapid onset of vomiting, tremors, seizures, liver failure, and often fatal illness in dogs with no specific antidote, so immediate veterinary care is critical.
- State testing is usually triggered by reports rather than routine sampling, the Charles River has had near-annual summer blooms including a 12-week event in 2020, and recent confirmations of blooms elsewhere underline this as a seasonal regional risk.