The owners of a dog who had to be put to sleep after suffering irreparable damage during a Belfast river swim, still have no answers as to what led to his sudden decline.
Andrew and Kim McCormick from East Belfast, had to allow their one-year-old Golden Retriever to be put to sleep on Wednesday, June 28 after a 72-hour battle to save his life.
The previously healthy 14-month-old pup showed signs of disorientation just 20 minutes after playing in Orangefield Park, river and duck pond on Sunday evening - he was put to sleep on Wednesday.
Read more: The little dog who inspired a big business idea
But the tests carried out have returned negative for blue-green algae and other pollutants and the family say more must be done to keep families safe.
Owner Andrew said: “After sitting up all night to comfort and cuddle Cooper, we knew that it was only right to let him rest. Unfortunately now we have more questions than we do answers.
“The vets at Cornerstone were amazing and provided the highest quality of care for Cooper that we could ask for. We could do no more for him and it was only fair to let him go to sleep.
Andrew and his wife called for urgent testing of the river and duck pond by Belfast City Council, DEARA and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
Andrew said: “They have deemed that neither currently poses a threat to public safety. All we know is that we had a perfectly healthy pup who had no signs of illness up to and during our walk on Sunday evening.
“Just 20 minutes after playing in the river, we had a sick pup who was showing signs of disorientation. His blood tests on Monday and Tuesday showed no signs of damage to the vital organs, his heart, liver or kidneys, and that we believe points to a neurological condition created by something he came in contact with on that walk.
"We brought Cooper home after there was no response to the treatments which all but confirmed it was a degenerative neurological issue. He took a turn for the worse and then stabilised for a while, but there was no improvement.
"After a horrible few hours of going back and forth deciding whether we should let him go to rest, we decided to give him one more night hoping against hope. Cooper was not in any pain or discomfort, and this was the deciding factor in giving him one last chance.
“But on Wednesday morning we let Cooper go for his final sleep. He had only turned one in April, while his life was short the memories we have of him will be long lasting,” said the pet owner on social media on Wednesday.
After successful lobbying of Belfast City Council, DAERA had tests carried out on the river and the Duck Pond, which back negative for blue-green algae and other pollutants.
Andrew said: “Today we still have more questions than answers and we are heartbroken by the loss of Cooper, our dog, our pet and family member.
“We will continue to push for answers and we would ask people to hold their pets a little closer today and give them the love they deserve - and avoid the area in Orangefield where we believe Cooper came into contact with something that ultimately led to his death.”
News of Cooper’s fight for life travelled globally on social media and the family has received messages of support from across Northern Ireland, GB, Ireland and as far away as Vancouver and Sri Lanka.
Andrew said: “Dogs have a special way of bringing out the best in everyone. We are content that we have been able to raise awareness about the danger of the river in Orangefield Park. I believe the river poses a serious risk with the toxins currently contained within it.
"Thank you to Belfast City Council for their support for this, they have been extremely helpful in their efforts to get the river tested.
"But ultimately the onus lay with NIEA to test the river asap and I reported my belief that I feel there is a high risk posed not only to dogs, but to the children and young people who would be playing in the park on summer nights.
"Today we have no answers as to what happened. Please do not let your dogs into the river in Orangefield Park or other rivers.
"Thank you to those who have comforted us and kept Cooper in their thoughts and prayers."
A spokeswoman for DAERA said: “The NI Environment Agency received a report at 11:40am on 26 June of a dog that had become unwell following contact with the river in Orangefield Park the previous evening. An officer was tasked to investigate for evidence of pollution or algae issues. There was no evidence that a pollution event had occurred in the river and analysis of water samples from the river and pond did not identify the presence of any blue-green algae species.
"If anyone wishes to report water pollution they can do so by phoning the incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”
To get the latest dog news straight to your inbox sign up to our free DOG NEWSLETTER
For all the latest dog news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. And to be part of Belfast Live's new WhatsApp community for top headlines and breaking news click on this link.
