Reports of dogs dying after swimming in Texas lake prompt investigation, officials say

Officials in Texas are investigating reports of dogs dying shortly after playing in Belton Lake.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has asked visitors to refrain from letting their pets drink the water or swim at the lake located about 10 miles west of Temple.

It follows a Facebook post Sunday from Delaney Presley, who said her 6-month-old dog died after a swim in the lake. A veterinarian told Presley two others dogs also died after experiencing similar symptoms as her dog, Koda.

“The reason for Koda’s death is unknown, but the vet said that it killed him within 30 minutes of when it entered his blood stream,” Presley wrote on Facebook. “Kody seized and then began to lose all strength throughout his body. It was an 11-minute drive to the vet and he was dead within minutes of arriving.”

The corps is teaming up with Texas Park and Wildlife Department officials and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in its investigation.

Officials observed normal coloring of the water Monday with “no visual indication of a harmful algae bloom,” according to a news release. Lake water will be sampled, tested and analyzed to determine if something in it is dangerous, officials said.

Contaminants that will be tested for include cyanobacteria, which is referred to as blue-green algae, corps official Joshua Brown told KCEN. Cyanobacteria is not visible to the naked eye but can be toxic to dogs and humans, according to the American Kennel Club.

Brown was aware of three dogs that died after swimming in the lake following last month’s winter storm, KCEN reported.

“I don’t know what is in the lake, but it is something bad,” Presley said. “Hold your pets close and love and cherish them.”