Mystery dog illness at beaches as expert 'certain' on cause after crabs die
dailyrecord.co.ukDog owners are being warned over a mystery illness that has caused a number of pets to fall ill after visits to beaches. The mystery illness is said to cause vomiting and diarrhoea in pooches, with some reports that the bug has even been fatal.
Very little is known about what is making the dogs unwell after cases were first linked to beaches in Yorkshire and the North East of England before spreading inland.One expert believes he has the answer to why hundreds of animals have been left sick and dead crabs have washed up on beaches.David McCreadie, a former senior lecturer in marine biology and oceanography, believes dredging could be to blame.He believes the process unearthed historical toxins which he is "certain" is responsible for the crab and lobster deaths - and could even causing the sickness in dogs. "I am 99.9 percent certain that this week-long dredging operation unearthed some historical toxins," Mr McCreadie told Teesside Live. "It dumped the spoil about three to four miles off - fishermen found hundreds of dead seabirds floating at the site."We have asked Defra to take samples from the dredged area and the recent animals and if necessary send samples to Porton Down for analysis specifically cyanide and dioxins."As we all know the Tees has been an industrial sewer for 100 years."However, the Environment Agency has ruled out dredging as the cause of the dead crustaceans.
It comes after the British Veterinary Association issued advice for concerned pet owners after a spike in cases of gastroenteritis-like symptoms.
On January 22, Newcastle's Chronicle Live reported that many dogs had fallen ill after trips to the beach in the area, although it doesn't seem that it is only pooches from the North East being
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