(Photo: Romain Blanquart Detroit Free Press) 
 
 DETROIT — Two dogs in the Flint area recently tested positive for lead toxicity, according to the state veterinarian. These were the first two dogs to be confirmed with lead toxicity in the past five years, according to state records. The dogs with lead toxicity are both cross-breeds, and they're both still alive, said Dr. James Averill, state veterinarian and Animal Industry Division Director for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. … One was a stray dog and the other was a family animal.” 
 
 Both dogs are still alive, although officials haven’t disclosed whether the dogs were drinking Flint water, how much lead was in their systems or what symptoms they were showing. If a veterinarian determines a dog may have lead toxicity, the lab testing is provided free of charge, he said. When they are concerned or suspect a lead toxicity may be possible, they let us know at that time and then we work with them moving forward from there.” 
 
 Averill said the “vast majority” of tests for lead in dogs in the area have been negative amid Flint’s crisis with lead-tainted water. Typically for us when we deal with lead toxicity, we’re usually dealing with cattle. To protect your pets, Averill said residents in Genesee County should “do what you are doing for yourself for your pet.” 
 
 “So number one, get your water tested to see if you have high lead levels. Ehrman said that for people who don't immediately have bottled or filtered water available for their pets, there's an alternative. “Take the same steps that you would for yourself for your pets.” 
 
 Averill said the first sign that your pet might be suffering from lead poisoning is any deviation from their normal behavior. “I think the key thing is, as pet owners you know what is the normal routine for your pet,” he said. “The signs and symptoms of lead toxicity are very broad and general, and similar to so many other diseases that a veterinarian needs to work up the case and do things to determine if it’s lead toxicity or if it’s something else,” said Averill. So it’s really critical that people work with a veterinarian when a pet has gone outside their normal routine.” 
 
 Anyone who notices their pets acting strangely is encouraged to take them to a veterinarian.
– First it was the kids of Flint found to have been tainted by lead, attributed by many to the area's toxic water. Now two dogs who live in the vicinity of the Michigan city have tested positive for lead toxicity—the first two pups to be confirmed with this in state records in five years, the Detroit Free Press reports. "Here in Michigan, specifically in [Genesee] County, we've had two cases of high-lead levels reported to us in dogs in the last six months," state vet Dr. James Averill tells CBS Detroit. "One was last fall and one was here in January." He says that one of the affected dogs was a stray, while the other was a pet. Both dogs are alive, Averill notes, but the state report doesn't specify how high their lead levels were, or what symptoms they had. And indeed, it's challenging to diagnose dogs with lead toxicity, as symptoms such as "mental dullness," arthritis, and lethargy can mimic those of other illnesses, Averill says. Instead, he mentions keeping an eye on variations in a pet's routine to help pinpoint if something's wrong. He does note to CBS, however, that the "vast majority" of lead tests on area dogs have come back negative, and he says they're relying on local veterinarians with "boots on the ground" to look out for suspicious cases. In the meantime, while Averill gives the OK to bathe pets in Flint-area tap water, he says they should be drinking filtered or bottled water or, as a last resort, melted snow. "It would be safer, if your only other choice is feeding them straight Flint water," he notes. (The FBI's now on Flint's case.)