ENCINITAS — Have you noticed the hundreds, if not thousands, of blue jelly-like blobs piling up along North County’s beaches? Let me introduce velella velella.
These small creatures may look like jellyfish, but they are actually hydrozoans, a group of aquatic animals such as the toxic Portuguese man-of-war.
Thankfully, velella velellas are usually harmless to humans, but dog owners are warned to keep their pooches away. Although not life-threatening, their stinging cells can cause irritation and an upset stomach if eaten.
“Watch for signs such as hypersalivation, pawing at the mouth, or actual vomiting,” said Kristie Leslie, a veterinarian at the Drake Center for Veterinary Care in Encinitas.
Velella velellas also go by the nicknames “by-the-wind sailors” and “little sails” due to their sail-like structures that stick up above the water and have stinging cells in their tentacles.
They have no way of moving except by the tide or wind and occasionally wash up in large numbers along Southern California’s coast.
“They have a pretty complex life history,” said Linsey Sala, senior museum scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “They will reside in the deep sea during wintertime, and then when conditions are such that they support a lot of zooplankton activity like we see here in the spring, they make an excursion up to the surface.”
Marlee Pracuta’s dog, Buster, a forty-pound mix-breed, took full advantage of the free snacks during their recent walk along a Carlsbad beach.
“I was freaking out,” she said. “He ate three of them and it was like someone had put a big bowl of food in front of him.”
Thankfully, Buster was no worse for wear, but what should you do if your dog swallows a velella velella?
“Offer them icy water,” Leslie said. “It’s not a guarantee, but it would be cooling on the mouth and could help with irritation.”
According to Leslie, antihistamines like Benadryl probably wouldn’t be effective regarding symptoms related to ingesting velella velella.
However, her main advice is that if in doubt, call your vet.
