This family's puppy died at Zion National Park, and officials are warning of deadly algae

K. Sophie Will
St. George Spectrum & Daily News

A mom and son took their nearly six-month-old husky puppy Keanna for a hike through Zion National Park while on a cross country road trip. They left confused, shocked and with broken hearts as they carried out their dying dog. 

On the Fourth of July weekend, Vanessa Weichberger and her son Francis were wading and splashing through the Virgin River on the Pa'rus Trail with hundreds of people.

Suddenly Keanna, a 10th birthday present for Francis who only joined the family two months ago, started looking and acting strange.

Her eyes were developing something that looked like a cat's second eyelids, and within minutes she could no longer walk. She began to seize and was visibly in pain.

Vanessa carried her as they tried to get down back to the parking lot while calling for help. Keanna nuzzled both Vanessa and Francis, and then the pain started.

"It was like she was saying goodbye," Vanessa said.

Keanna died within 20 minutes of encountering toxic algae blooms new to the river and dangerous to humans on July 3.

Francis Connor and his puppy Keanna at Zion National Park, 20 minutes before Keanna encountered toxic algal blooms and died.

Anatoxin-a, a nervous system cyanotoxin that is produced by harmful cyanobacteria, was found in the North Fork of the river as of Friday night as the Southwest Utah Public Health Department issued a public health warning.

The week gap between Keanna's death and alerting the public of the danger was due to testing time, though the park did put up signs warning of possible danger soon after the incident.

"We got out what we knew as soon as we could, then we upgraded it to a warning as soon as we got the test results back," Zion spokesman Jeff Axel said.

Pets are more sensitive to cyanotoxins than humans, the Department of Environmental Quality said on their website. Children are at a greater risk than adults.

The safe threshold for the toxin set by the state for recreational areas is 15 micrograms per liter. Results from the affected area showed a concentration greater than 55 micrograms per liter, nearly four times the state threshold. 

Axel said it is "very new and very unusual" as the bloom is not typically found in running rivers.

Rangers put up warning signs of potential danger around where Keanna died on July 3. Signs were posted on July 5.

The North Fork and the Diversion Dam area are the most affected by this algal bloom, though officials are testing all parts of the river. The popular Narrows hike is affected.

The Virgin River is a source of drinking water for many, though Washington County Water Conservancy District, Zion National Park and the Towns of Virgin and Rockville are not using the North Fork as a drinking water source. 

Springdale, however, does use water from the North Fork for drinking. While water treatment technologies can remove this toxin, a press release said they have not yet detected cyanotoxins in Springdale's water.

Signs have been posted around affected areas warning visitors not to swim, submerge themselves or let their pets be in the water. 

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food also suggests livestock be led to a different drinking source and avoid irrigation water. Officials say to clean fish well and discard guts.

People who use culinary water to supplement secondary water should take measures to avoid substantial demand on the system and empty animal watering troughs. More information on this can be found in the press release. 

Quail Creek Reservoir, Sand Hollow Reservoir and the Santa Clara River basin are not affected. 

Officials warn not to swim or drink in the area and to avoid algae scum. Do not attempt to drink the water even with a purifier. 

More samples will be collected this upcoming week and results determining if the threat level should be raised to "dangerous" should come within the next few days, spokesman Axel said. 

Officials are trying to discern how this bloom grew to this degree and how to treat it. The only two ways this bloom will die is if it reaches the end of its life cycle or a monsoon flash floods the area.

Vanessa and Francis are now dealing with the grief, shock and trauma from losing Keanna this way. While Vanessa had a bad headache for a few days after encountering the algae, she's ok now as they're remembering Keanna and continuing their trek. 

It's been particularly hard for Francis, as this is his first encounter with death. 

"She brought so much joy. She was such a sweet dog, everybody loved her. This is such a hard way to hear of someone dying," Vanessa said.

If you are concerned you have been exposed, call your doctor or Utah Poison Control at 800-222-1222. If you suspect an animal has been affected, contact your vet.

If you see suspected algal blooms or see any signs, the public is asked to report them to the 24-hour Division of Water Quality tip line at 801-536-4123. Sampling updates can be found at the Department of Environmental Quality website.

Signs posted near the Virgin River where a dog was killed by toxic algae.

K. Sophie Will is the National Parks Reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News through the Report for America initiative by The GroundTruth Project. Follow her on Twitter at @ksophiewill or email her at kswill@thespectrum.com.