A dog that went swimming in the Eel River in eastern Mendocino County died early this month — a death that tests this week confirmed was related to toxic algae, Mendocino County officials said.
It was the second confirmed canine fatality in two months linked to toxic algae and swimming in a North Coast stream. The first case involved a dog that died during an outing on the Russian River.
In the latest case, the stricken dog had been swimming in the Eel River at a Potter Valley-area campground before becoming ill, said Brian Hoy, consumer protection program manager with Mendocino County’s environmental health department.
Learn more about algae in the Eel River from Eel River Recovery Project.