Sneezing fit at beach

Question

We are staying at Topsail Hill State Park in Santa Rosa Beach Fl. We drove to a near by beach that has a board walk, took the dogs out to walk. As soon as we got out of the car my husband and I started coughing. There was a strong on shore wind, surf was high and looking down the beach we could see what looked like blowing sand and sea mist. We got the dogs out and immediately they both began sneezing uncontrolably, non stop less than 2-3 sec between sneezes. We walked on the boardwalk a short distance to a bench both dogs were still sneezing and we felt like it was difficult to breath too. We went immediately back to the car and turned on the AC within a couple of min the dogs stopped sneezing and have not sneezed any more the rest of today.
Has anyone else ever experienced something like this?? We are about to get the reminants of hurricane Patricia, lots of wind and rain.
I've had dogs all my life and never had this happen anywhere.
thanks

dturm · Answer

The only personal experience with my dogs has been a short sneezing spell. I've had patients that had snuffed something up their nose resulting in sneezing - a weed awn that had to be removed while under anesthesia.

It seems apparent that the environment at the beach was irritating to you and dogs and removal from what ever it was, was the proper treatment. Good going.

Doug, DVM

overbrook · Answer

betsypupcdx wrote:Has anyone else ever experienced something like this??Sounds like symptoms of red tide exposure.  Red tide (Karenia brevis), is a toxic algae bloom that appears in the ocean.Wave action can break open K. brevis cells and release these toxins into the air, leading to respiratory irritation. For people with severe or chronic respiratory conditions, such as emphysema or asthma, red tide can cause serious illness. According to FWC's Red Tide outbreak map, "Blooms of the Florida red tide organism, Karenia brevis, are present in, along, and offshore of eastern Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, and Gulf counties in northwest Florida, and in, along, and offshore of Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, and northern Lee counties in Southwest Florida."http://myfwc.com/REDTIDESTATUSBill

betsypupcdx · Answer

Thanks!! Yes it must be the Red Tide because we are located in Walton county which according to the FWC map is experiencing a high concentration of Red Tide at the moment. AND it was mentioned last night on the local news.
Hopefully, it subsides soon. It is to rain heavily all day and tonight wonder if that might help??
If not there will be no more walks near the beach for our dogs!!
Guess you are never too old to learn something new. LOL

jayco-noslide · Answer

One time on the beach near Venice, Fl. I got choked up from "red tide" which is a red algae outbreak. I had to leave the beach and I'm not normally one to have this kind of problem.

overbrook · Answer

Jayco-noslide wrote:One time on the beach near Venice, Fl. I got choked up from "red tide" which is a red algae outbreak. I had to leave the beach and I'm not normally one to have this kind of problem.We live two hundred yards from the beach and the red tide here in the Venice / Englewood area has come on really strong in the last three days.The high surf from the weekend put a lot of toxins in the air, and we can definitely feel the effects.Today, the wind is coming out of the east and hopefully it will blow the red tide back out to sea - but until it does, I'm staying inside.If the red tide lingers or gets worse, I'm loading up the motorhome and heading to the Atlantic coast.Bill

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Sneezing fit at beach

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