Three pups died shortly after being exposed to toxic algae in a pond during a puppy play date.

Dog owners Melissa Martin and Denise Mintz say their three dogs died after going swimming in a pond in Wilmington, North Carolina on Thursday night.

The owners say that within 15 minutes of leaving the pond, Abby, a West Highland white terrier, began to have a seizure.

All three dogs began to seize and rapidly decline by the time they made it to the veterinary hospital. By midnight Friday, all three dogs had died due to liver failure.

The owners say they had no clue toxins from the algae could stop a dog's liver from functioning.

Martin and Mintz are now seeking to spread the word about the dangers of blue-green algae.

"People need to know about this. Like I said, if we had any clue this was ever a thing they would have never come,” says Martin. “I had no idea. And once we got to the emergency vet last night, they also weren't sure. He came onto the floor and he was trying to wrap his paw around my arm and I just told him what a good boy he was and how he had done so much and we weren't going to let this happen for nothing..."

Read more about harmful algal blooms that can be dangerous to people and animals here.