After experiencing on going redtide in various toxicity, many on our island have come up with some interesting observations.

I will first address the symptoms seen in the dogs then discuss what observations the islanders have presented for us humans. These are exact symptoms the dogs showed EACH time. Many dogs were sick and islanders got to know the warning signs.

The dogs have all shown exact symptoms, and the Vets with the correct treatment Treated them the same. This knowledge came from being there thru 16 dogs getting sick. It never changed.

1. Limited to uncontrollable sneezing.

2. Backwards cough, it's a cross between a cough and a choke. Once a dog has had a high exposure they can continue this type of coughing even if they have been brought inside.  Beware, this has proven to be a strong indicator of impending problems. Keep the animals in clean air.

3.  Uncontrollable swallowing accompanied by foaming at the mouth. This is seen when they get high doses of toxic air on the beach. Dogs have dropped as they walked on the beach. This happened on our island. And letters also pointed this out in St.Pete.

4. Drunken walk, they lose their motor skills, and are not sure of the location of their feet. They are losing sensory perception. This is FACT.

5. Lack of appetite and lack of energy for a day or two. This is seen in the dogs that have the toxins building in their systems. At times they may swallow constantly like they have something stuck in their throat, and droll slightly. This may pass or continue to full blown seizures.

6. Intestinal problems, digestive problems.

7. If exposure is severe there will be a Total shutdown of the nervous system, accompanied by blindness and deafness.

At this point ALWAYS keep the dog in a very quiet, dark area. Try not to move them too much. Their brains are over stimulated and any noise or light sets off convulsions and upsets them. They don't know where they are so be patient with them. Keep them out of the heat. Bring them to a vet who has knowledge of what to do. asap. Some will require a sedative just to keep them quiet.

There seems to be no difference  between the dogs that ate fish and those that just had air or water exposure. There were three instances on island of families having two dogs, and only one got sick. Both dogs in the families were exposed to the same levels of brevetoxin. Olivia Gaines had enough toxin in her body, 3 weeks later, to kill a Manatee. Lazy had a relapse 3 weeks later when exposed to red tide air during another lovely red tide episode.

Note to all: These symptoms in the dogs are severe but can be counteracted very quickly but only by the perscribed method. See the page on the red tide articles, ie. red tide and dogs. Never give up on your dog. Even if things look extremely severe, they Will recover..  Port Charlotte Emergency vets, and Englewood Fl Vets, Dr. Botelson and Gilkerson know the treatments WELL.

The human symptoms we have all pinned down are:

1. Headache/migraine

2. Dry mouth, cracked lips

3. Extreme fatigue

4. Constant thirst

5. Extreme respiratory problems, coughing, lack of breath, laryngitis, sinusitis, and  extreme irritation of the lungs.

6. Upset stomach 

If a person arrives on island and has never been exposed to red tide, it seems to take a few days to a week for the symptoms to suddenly hit them.

Whether or not this indicates that the severity of reactions increases as exposure increases is a theory that needs to be addressed.

One person I know was within a few hours of  total respiratory failure. She has lived on this island for 30 years and has been exposed many times to the red tide but had never suffered the affects she did last April.

 The feeling on this island, is that after years of constant immersion in this toxic air, we are all hypersensitized to the red tide, and get worse with each episode.

These are our observations, hope it helps, please send  yours.