Dog swimming & drowning

water ingestion and fast currents

SWIMMING WITH BALLS

There have been a number of cases reporting of dogs drowning outside the water after swallowing too much river or sea water from swimming with balls in their mouths. Please be careful.

We have also had reports of dogs at Canford Park Sang drowning due to being pulled under by fast currents and undertow. A suggestion from a member of the Dog Friendly Dorset group is to have your dog on a long line to prevent them from being swept away or to avoid these areas of high currents.

“I used to work in a vet surgery and there was more than one occasion over the summer when we would have dogs come in with salt water poisoning because their owner had been throwing their ball into the sea.

The reason was that while there is a ball in their mouth, their mouth will never be shut, and as they swim against the waves to come back to the shore, they end up taking in a lot of sea water.

My advice would be that, if your dog has a habit of drinking sea water, only allow your dog into the sea for brief stretches of time when on walks and make sure you take a lot of water with you and offer it to them regularly. If they're getting plenty of water then they won't feel so compelled to drink while they're swimming!”

Advice from Lily Young on Dog Friendly Dorset group

Video by Clare Foss-Smith, thank you :)

Coughing and being sick from water swimming

Beach/River Dangers we will face with our furbabies. As an added note, when you hear your pup "coughing" in the water (often with a ball in its mouth), it is due to taking on water. This is often due to the choice of water toy, your dog plays with. A ball for example, keeps your dog's mouth almost fully open, making it easy to take on water. If you consider a "retrieving dummy" instead, a lot of these are designed to be fairly flat so the dog can almost fully close its mouth when swimming. The tassles also stop it being carried off in the waters currents. I have included pictures of Buddy with his dummy to give you an idea.

Salt Water

Dog swimming at a beach with a ball. When our pooches are thirsty they will drink almost anything - they're not fussy. This includes sea water. Drinking a large amount of salt water can lead to salt toxicity, otherwise known as hypernatremia. This occurs when there is too much sodium in the blood. Just from playing at the beach, you dog can ingest quite a bit of salt, from swallowing too much when swimming, to picking up and chewing on toys that have been soaked from the sea.

Signs of salt toxicity include excessive thirst, vomiting, diarrhoea, confusion, seizures, and can lead to coma. To avoid your pet ingesting too much salt water at the beach always make fresh water available so they don't feel tempted to drink from the sea. It's also a good idea to rinse them off before leaving the beach rather than letting the sea water dry on their coat. This will prevent your pooch from licking the salt water from their fur and ingesting more salt.

Excess Water Consumption

Water intoxication in dogs can occur when dogs swallow an excessive amount of water. This can happen when dogs spend time swimming or playing in fresh water, for example when fetching a ball from a lake.

When dogs consume too much water it dilutes the sodium concentration in their blood. This can lead to hyponatremia in dogs — seriously low levels of sodium in the blood. This encourages the inflow of water into the dog’s cells which can result in swelling. If water causes the brain cells to swell, this can lead to brain damage.

When suffering from water intoxication, dogs may be nauseous, lethargic or weak. They may also lose coordination and stagger. Other signs can include dilated pupils, glazed eyes and excessive salivating.

In severe cases, dogs may also have difficulty breathing, collapse, have a seizure or fall into a coma.

Sand

Sand is unavoidable at the beach; it gets everywhere, you might even find you bring some home with you! Playing at the beach can lead to your pup eating sand - mostly by accident, however some pooches may do it purposefully. Picking up toys covered in sand, happily digging in the sand, and eating something tasty that has fallen onto the sand - all mean sand will be ingested. However, if too much sand is ingested it can lead to sand impaction. This is when the sand causes a blockage in the intestines.

If your pup is vomiting, seems to be constipated, has abdominal pain, loss of appetite, or lethargy after a visit to the beach, it may indicate sand has been ingested. Depending on how much sand has been ingested, hospitalisation may be required. The important aspects of treatment include fluid therapy or medication to assist in moving the sand along the intestines. In severe cases, surgery may be needed.

As sand ingestion is often accidental, it can be a challenge to avoid a case of sand impaction. Monitoring your pet while at the beach, limiting access to sand pits, and teaching your pooch the leave command to prevent them eating unwanted things, such as a sausage that has fallen on the sand.

The Heat

While the sea breeze may feel refreshing, the temperature can certainly sky rocket at the beach. Combine high temperatures with hot sand and little shade, the chances of your pet developing heat stroke is very real. Dogs can't release heat like us humans and can overheat very quickly, nor can they tell us when they're hot. To help your pooch avoid heat stroke make sure to provide your them with enough shade and plenty of fresh drinking water. As well as limiting excessive exercise. It's also a good idea to avoid the beach during the hottest parts of the day. For more tips on avoiding heat stroke, and the signs and symptoms to be aware of, visit our HEAT GUIDE.

Even our pooches can get sunburned. Their noses, ears and stomach are the most likely places to become burnt. Dogs with thin coats or white fur are also more at risk to the sun's rays than others. To prevent a nasty case of sunburn, provide your pooch with an umbrella or beach tent to cool off under, and pet sunscreen might be a good idea to invest in if you dog loves time in the sun.

Fish Hooks

Whether you're an angler with a furry fishing companion or someone who walks their pet near a popular fishing spot, it's a good idea to know how to avoid a fishing accident and what to do if your pet gets hooked. It only takes an instant - your pooch sniffs out and snacks on bait or a fish attached to a hook and the hook ends up stuck in their mouth, throat, stomach, or embedded in their skin.

If your dog swallows a fish hook, do your best to keep them calm and seek veterinary assistance immediately. If the fish hook is embedded in the paw, pierced through their lip, or stuck anywhere else on their body, cover the area so you pet doesn't gnaw, lick or tug at the hook to prevent the injury from worsening. If there is fishing line hanging from their mouth it is best not trying to removing it and avoid pulling on it as it can cause further injuries if it has been swallowed

Written by Imogen Andrews