File photo: Renata/DepositphotosDog owners have been keeping their pets away from rivers in west-central France, following the deaths of at least nine dogs after they swam in the toxic water. Nine dogs have been reported dead after bathing in the Loire river, which was found to contain a toxic bacteria dangerous to animals and people. The Maine-et-Loire prefecture on Tuesday issued a "call for vigilance", noting that authorities had taken several precautions to protect the public from the bacteria, including closing the swimming area at Rochefort sur Loire and banning fishing in the Loire river. "Thirteen dogs have been poisoned, eight of them fatally," authorities wrote in mid-August, explaining that each of the affected dogs had swum in the river before "succumbing very quickly" to neurological, digestive, and respiratory disorders. Two kinds of toxic cyanobacteria - oscillatoria and phormidium - were found in the river when authorities carried out analyses.

Source: The Local August 23, 2017 09:33 UTC