WINNIPEG – Thousands of people use the off-leash dog area at Kilcona Park every day, but it was recently discovered that the water is posing a threat to dogs taking a dip in the pond.
A third-party consultant hired by the park’s dog club tested the retention ponds at Kilcona Park after the club fielded thousands of complaints about pets getting sick this summer.
The result: 4,600 E. coli cultures were found in the water. That’s 46 times the acceptable limit for livestock and 23 times the acceptable limit for swimming.
Kilcona Park dog club president Donna Henry said they tested the water themselves in September, after the city refused to make their results public.
“The city wouldn’t return our phone calls,they wouldn’t respond to our emails, so we said, OK, the only way we are going to get this information is if we test the water ourselves.”
The problem has been around for a few years, but never as bad as this past summer, Henry said. Numerous dogs suffered from gastro-intestinal illnesses. Some dogs had diarrhea and vomiting, and others suffered from a rash.
Pet owner Paulette Olsen said her two dogs were very ill.
“They both did this summer, for about two weeks, and I wasn’t even sure what it was,” Olsen said. “It was probably from the water, and I heard that other dogs had that problem.”
Others at the park on Tuesday had mixed feelings on the issue.
“I just keep her away completely,” Jared Smith said about his dog, Marley.
Sherry Thompson said she hasn’t had a problem.
“My dogs have always been in the water, and they’ve never been sick — no skin irritation, nothing.”
Due to the levels of E. coli, many dog owners had extremely high veterinarian bills, Henry said.
“Over the years, we’ve been seeing more and more people whose dogs are going in the water, and then the next day or a couple of days later, and you see them and they are saying, ‘Whoa, my dog got really sick. It was a $500 vet bill,’ and this summer it was worse than ever,” Henry said.
The dog club, with more than 500 members, would like to see additional signs in the park to make sure nobody accidentally allows pets in the water.
“We just want more signs, so if this is the first time in the park, you’re bringing a new puppy here, as soon as you get to the trail head here, you go oh right, this dog should not be going in this water.”
The city released a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying goose feces and dog feces that may not be picked up could be contributing factors to the high levels of E. coli.
Retention pond water should never be used, drunk, or swum in, the city added.
The statement didn’t say whether the city will add more signs to the park.
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