Great Dane dies after swimming in ‘polluted’ sea
A HEARTBROKEN dog owner has blamed polluted seawater for the death of his ‘fit and strong’ Great Dane – who loved a daily dip at the coast.
David Arthur’s ‘beautiful’ 13-month-old pet odin was put to sleep after developing a lung infection his owners believe was caused by a bug he picked up.
odin had enjoyed swims at hayling Island beach near Portsmouth, where Southern Water insists the water quality is ‘excellent’.
but odin’s death came after the utility firm was fined £90million last July for pouring raw sewage into the sea off hampshire and north kent.
Mr Arthur, 59, had already spent £6,000 on treating the dog’s illness in September but vets said odin’s lungs were too badly damaged.
the dog was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, an infection that can be caused by ingesting foreign matter into the lungs.
the road worker from Cowplain in hampshire said he and his hairdresser wife Susan, 69, were ‘heartbroken’. he added: ‘odin was a fit and healthy dog. I’ve got other dogs but the difference is that odin would swim out of his depth in the sea every day. We think pollution has gone into his lung and caused an infection.’
When Mr Arthur sent Southern Water proof odin had died of aspiration pneumonia, the firm offered him £500, which he turned down and called an ‘insult’ as his vet bills cost £6,000. he added: ‘them offering me money is admitting liability as far as I’m concerned.’
A spokesman for Southern Water did not accept responsibility for the dog’s death and claimed the water quality on hayling’s beaches was rated ‘excellent’. but an email from St Peter’s Vets in Petersfield, where odin was treated, read: ‘the concern is that all of his symptoms could have been caused by aspirating sea water.’
however, the british Veterinary Association’s president Justine Shotton explained: ‘Sea water may contain bacteria even in unpolluted areas so inhalation of any foreign material, including sea water, can lead to aspiration pneumonia in dogs.’
In June, hayling Sewage Watch gathered 2,000 signatures from those calling for ‘help to stop hayling beaches being polluted with untreated sewage’. the water firm spokesman added: ‘We understand customers’ concerns over storm releases made to prevent homes from flooding during heavy rain which is why we have launched a task force aiming to cut such storm releases by 80 per cent by 2030.’