Concern has been raised over the water at the Victoria Park dog park after a spate of sickness.
Several people have reportedly had their dogs falling ill after swimming in the off-lead area dam at the Russell Street side of the public park.
Local dog owner Peter Bray says while his dog Zach is on probiotics after suffering diarrhoea after a swim, it’s led to other pets needing medical treatment.
“I spoke to a few people that had problems with their dogs that had drunk the water. One was pretty sick, another one got really sick and apparently needed to be taken to a vet in Melbourne and finished up costing $4,000.” he said.
Peter says his reason for raising the alarm is in the hopes of getting more awareness in the area with signs warning people of the potential dangers for dogs.
“I thought this needs to be talked about a little bit so that people are aware of what’s going on. So I did ring the Council to see if we can get some signs put up so that people are aware of what’s going on.”
Despite Peter’s claims there was a lack of signage from what he saw, Ballarat City Council confirms it has installed water advisory signs at the lake in Victoria Park near Russell Street stating the water is not suitable for drinking, and is currently investigating whether additional signage is needed.
Council did not confirm whether it would be conducting testing of water bodies in the park in response to the reports, but advises caution is always taken by people with pets around any natural water body.
Peter Bray says revisiting the need for more awareness is necessary as it’s not the first time reports have flared of sick animals as the result of being in the Victoria Park waterways.
“I have heard that dogs have been sick by drinking it in other years. They say it’s basically alright in the winter, but not the summer. And I’m led to believe that there’s another dam in Vic Park there that’s actually worse…that’s more algae.”
