Do you have a pool at your home, and does your dog like to drink water from it?
Imagine this, on a hot summer day your dog wants to go outside to play in the pool and unknowingly drinks water from it.
Well, a little pool of water is not bad for your dog. Too much of it can start to raise concerns. Most pools have either chlorine or salt water in them. And too much of it can be detrimental to your dog.
Read ahead to find out how harmful it can be for your dog to drink water from the pool in the presence of salt or chlorine, and if it is a frequent occurrence, we are going to share pointers on how to prevent it from happening.
Why is Pool Water Harmful for Your Dog?
- In both chlorine and saltwater pool, the chlorine is often diluted that a couple of sips of pool water will not make your dog ill or potentially even ill at all as long as the chemicals in your pool are at a safe level, it will be absolutely fine if your dog takes a few sips throughout their swim.
- Chlorine can be potentially dangerous if your dog ingests it in a large amount.
It means that instead of gulping a few sips of pool water, your dog is using the pool water as a drinking source or they accidentally take in a lot of pool water throughout the duration of their swim.
- Usually, your dog will experience GI upset.
- Chlorine can also be corrosive to the esophagus when taken in a large amount. As a result, your dog will show the symptoms of vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
So, if you see your dog showing any or all of the above-mentioned symptoms then you must reach out to your veterinarian immediately.
- Saltwater pools pose the most risk to our canine friends. Salt water also contains a small amount of chlorine but what is most dangerous for your dog is the salt present in the pool water.
- Consumption of salt water by your dog can lead to a life-threatening situation because saltwater toxicity in dogs is a serious medical emergency.
- If it is left untreated, your dog can experience permanent kidney damage, brain damage, and cardiac damage. This occurs due to electrolytic imbalance that the excess saltwater causes within the body.
- Dogs can also experience thinning of the blood due to a large amount of salt water they intake.
- Other such symptoms that your dog can show may include weakness, muscle tremors, behavioral change, unresponsiveness, lethargy, state of confusion, etc.
- Both chlorine and salt water can also be a bit irritating to the dog skin if it is left to dry.
- Consumption of too much salt water can also dehydrate your dog.
So, it’s important to have an adequate amount of knowledge to keep your dog safe.
Tips to Keep your Dog Safe
- Make sure that your dog has not consumed any of the pool water or if it did, that it was only a minimal amount.
- Always try to offer them a fresh water source for drinking when they are enjoying their time in the pool to resist their temptation.
- Before letting your dog into the pool, make sure to treat your pool properly so that the amount of chlorine can be as low as possible.
- Even if your dog tries to consume the pool water as a source of drinking, redirect them towards the correct source of water.
- Ensure that the pool is covered when not in use.
- Do not leave your dog unsupervised near pools. Try these methods to keep your dog out of the pool.
- Keep in touch with your veterinarian if you see your dog showing some abnormal symptoms.
Wrapping Up
Keep in mind that if your dog takes a few sips from the chlorine-based pool water or salt-based pool water, it should be fine so do not panic. However, always ensure that they can easily enter and exit the pool with the help of a ramp or ladder and are not left unattended during their swim so that they don’t consume a large amount of water from the pool.
