Elkton (KMTR) - The Douglas County Sheriff's office says three dogs (three confirmed cases handled by the sheriff's office) have died under mysterious circumstances after visiting the confluence of Elk Creek and the Umpqua River. County health officials say one person has also reported becoming ill after visiting the same area.
"It's the first as far as I'm aware of," said Terry Westfall of the Douglas County Health Department. "And we've been doing water quality monitoring in this area for many years. As far as the animal being killed (or) died from exposure, that's the first."
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office has placed health warning signs at the pathway leading down to the river, advising people to avoid the area. But on Wednesday, fishermen continued to fish the same location where the deaths occurred. The issue surfaced last Friday, when a Eugene fisherman who visited the area reported his two dogs suddenly began vomiting and convulsing, before dieing shortly later.
"I would just tell people to stay away from this particular, general area, just in case they could be exposed to something that we're not aware of at this point," said Westfall. The dogs' bodies have been sent to Oregon State University for toxicology testing.
