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Eugene

(66,231 posts)
Fri Aug 8, 2025, 01:08 AM Aug 8

Dogs are mysteriously dying in this Southern California beach town. What is behind it?

Source: Yahoo! News

Dogs are mysteriously dying in this Southern California beach town. What is behind it?

So far, seven dogs have died and 11 have fallen ill after walks along the Venice canals.

Kaitlin Reilly, Reporter
Thu, August 7, 2025 at 5:09 PM EDT
4 min read

A wave of mysterious dog deaths in Venice, Calif., is causing concern for locals in the popular Los Angeles County beach town.

Venice is known as a dog-friendly area, with many residents regularly seen walking their pets along the neighborhood’s signature canals. However, since July, at least seven dogs have died, and 11 more have fallen ill, following walks near the canals, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.

The dogs were reportedly healthy prior to these walks, with one as young as 6 months old. However, after walking near the canals, the dogs reportedly experienced a variety of sudden and severe symptoms such as lethargy, nausea, seizures and weakness, as well as neurological symptoms and cardiac arrest, according to a report from ABC News.

Residents have not received any concrete answers about what happened to these dogs. One pet owner, Eric Torres, took his 4-year-old dog, Chloe, to the vet after she collapsed and experienced a seizure following their 4-mile walk around the canals. Chloe died hours after receiving medical attention, and blood and urine test results were inconclusive for poisonings, the Los Angeles Times said. It was only after Torres saw news reports about other dogs dying following canal visits that he began to suspect there may be a common cause.

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Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/article/dogs-are-mysteriously-dying-in-this-southern-california-beach-town-what-is-behind-it-210953612.html

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Dogs are mysteriously dying in this Southern California beach town. What is behind it? (Original Post) Eugene Aug 8 OP
Kick SheltieLover Aug 8 #1
Maybe a canine version of CoVid? love_katz Aug 8 #2
If it was doggy covid, it wouldn't just affect dogs walking along the Venice canals. nt SunSeeker Aug 8 #6
Insectacides Figarosmom Aug 8 #3
There have always been insecticide and fertilizer use there. This sounds like a toxic algae bloom. SunSeeker Aug 8 #5
Sounds like it's toxic algae in the Venice canals, like the lake in Texas where dogs died. SunSeeker Aug 8 #4

love_katz

(3,146 posts)
2. Maybe a canine version of CoVid?
Fri Aug 8, 2025, 03:30 AM
Aug 8

Super sad.

I would guess that some kind of new canine virus has been deposited on doggy scent posts? Or something was sprayed on the vegetation that the poor dogs are reacting to?

I hope that the cause is found soon.

SunSeeker

(56,513 posts)
5. There have always been insecticide and fertilizer use there. This sounds like a toxic algae bloom.
Fri Aug 8, 2025, 04:03 AM
Aug 8

We've had a lot of toxic algae blooms along the coast this summer, with the heat. And those canals are fetid sewers on the best of days.

SunSeeker

(56,513 posts)
4. Sounds like it's toxic algae in the Venice canals, like the lake in Texas where dogs died.
Fri Aug 8, 2025, 04:00 AM
Aug 8

The Venice canals are basically open sewers. As the article notes, they really smell bad, especially in the heat we've been having. It's fetid uncirculating water. Yet the homes sitting along the edges of the canals cost millions of dollars. It's mind boggling.

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