Vets in coastal communities around Western Australia are being warned to watch for symptoms of poisoning in dogs who may have visited the beach.
The cause of the poisonings that have been reported from Broome to Fremantle are sea hares washing up on WA beaches over summer.
Senior lecturer in veterinary emergency and critical care at Murdoch University Katrin Swindells said the toxic creatures were very attractive to dogs and when ingested could cause acute poisoning.
Staff at the veterinary clinic at Murdoch are currently surveying all vets in WA in a bid to establish the extent of the problem and determine whether it is new or has always been an issue. Sea hares are large slug-like creatures that can contain toxins. Swindells said it was not known what caused the sea hares to become toxic but it could have something to do with their consumption of toxic algae.
Not all species appear to be toxic and the degree of toxicity may differ between individuals of the same species.
They can measure up to 60cm in length and come in a variety of colours.
The animals come together to mate and then die after laying their eggs in thin yarn like masses.
As they die they can wash ashore in large numbers under certain conditions and end up rotting on the beach.
WA Premier Colin Barnett’s two year old labrador Zanna was lucky to escape with her life after ingesting a small piece of sea hare during an evening walk on south Cottesloe beach, in Perth’s western suburbs in February.
The close call prompted a warning to other dog owners to keep their pets away from the dark coloured gelatinous creatures washing up on the beach.
Swindells said vets in coastal communities around WA were reporting poisonings from the sea hares.
She said it was important to get a dog to a vet as soon as possible after ingesting the toxic creatures and in most cases the dog could be saved.
She said the symptoms were similar to those of poisoning from snail pellets and included convulsions and other neurological symptoms.
Lyn Barnett said she had been walking her two labradors at south Cottesloe and had turned her back on Zanna briefly when the inquisitive canine somehow managed to eat a piece of sea hare. Within minutes of returning from the beach the yellow labrador started convulsing and Barnett rushed the dog to an after-hours veterinary clinic.
Zanna was given a fifty per cent chance of surviving the toxins but managed to pull through after having her stomach pumped and being given an intravenous drip containing an experimental lipid.
Barnett said she now kept Zanna on the lead during her daily beach walks and was careful to collect and bin any sea hares she saw.
“Zanna is only just coming back to her normal self. It took the bounce right out of her,” Barnett said.
“These things make blowfish look like a walk in the park. They are something to be very wary of.”
JANE HAMMOND