NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 10: A veterinarian carries golden retreiver Oliver before mounting a heart monitor on the dog's side at the non-profit Animal Medical Center on December 10, 2012 in New York City. The non-profit Animal Medical Center, established in 1910, has 80 veterinarians in 17 specialty services that treat up to 40,000 animal visits annually. Clients bring in their pets from around the country and world to the teaching hospital on Manhattan's Upper East Side for specialized high tech treatment. The American Pet Products Association estimates that Americans would spend more than $50 billion on their pets in 2012, $14 billion of that in veterinary care alone. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Flint Michigan Water Crisis: Dogs Testing Positive For Lead Toxicity

You’ve probably heard about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. In an effort to save money during the town’s continued economic crisis, city officials switched the town water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, which contains high levels of chloride ions. The citizens have been encouraged to boil their drinking water, but cases of lead poisoning keep coming in. And now, those cases include dogs.

A dog drinks water from a silver bowl.
(Picture Credit: Getty Images)

Two dogs in Genessee County tested positive for lead toxicity according to the state veterinarian, Dr. James Averill. State officials aren’t releasing many other details such as how much lead they had in their systems or what their symptoms were. One was a stray, and the other was a pet. Both are still alive. Symptoms of lead poisoning can include malaise, arthritis, and mental dullness.

Dr. Averill warns that if pet owners see any out of the ordinary behavior or deviations from a normal schedule, that a vet should be consulted immediately. He’s also advised residents in the area affected by the crisis to give animals bottled water, or even melted snow if nothing else is available. Bathing in the tap water is fine, but it is not clean enough for consumption. Even though the city switched its water supply to the Detroit River since the catastrophe, it still contains unsafe levels of lead.

Related Articles: 

What To Do If Your Dog’s Been Poisoned

How To Prevent Accidental Poisonings

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