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The Danger of Water Intoxication
Swimming dogs are at risk of ingesting too much water
Last week a friend’s dog had a close call with water intoxication. Her crew was playing in a local river when one of her Border Collies emerged staggering and vomiting liquid. Symptoms quickly worsened on the way to the vet, but after a few harrowing days, the dog was fortunate to make a full recovery. Apparently the poor pup ingested too much water while repeatedly diving into the river, mouth open, trying to catch a ball. Drinking too much causes electrolyte levels to drop, thinning blood plasma and leading to swelling of the brain and other organs. Before I learned about water intoxication, I thought that playing in the lake was safe if your dog was a strong swimmer. But now I know to be mindful of how my guys interact with the water and to force them to take ample breaks. Dogs can even drink too much water from playing with a lawn sprinkler. Unfortunately water intoxication progresses quickly. Now that summer is officially here, it’s important to review the signs so you can get an affected dog to the vet as soon as possible. Symptoms include lack of coordination, lethargy, nausea, bloating, vomiting, dilated pupils, glazed eyes, light gum color, and excessive salivation. Advanced symptoms include difficulty breathing, collapsing, loss of consciousness, and seizures. As the weather gets warmer, stay safe. Water intoxication can affect both people and our pups. |
Photo by sharper65/flickr.
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This is good to know as my dog loves to bite the hose and gets lots of water in his mouth. Now I will be more careful.
Interesting article, since our labradors are in the water every day playing and doing retriever training. We have never had this problem. I have taken action photos of the dogs as they enter the water, and it is amazing to see how they hold their heads up (mouths closed) as they hit the water. I liked jerseycaptain's response. This is probably a rare occurance. The dogs would be more likely to get ill from bacteria or algae in the water than too much water. We are careful where we train, but certainly will continue to let our labs enjoy the water!
There are better articles that explain the science behind water intoxication, part of the problem is that the electrolytes get diluted and cause cells to swell. This can be caused by all water, even bottled.
Please research and do not take this lightly. Water intoxication can also happen in humans and 1-2 athletes die of this yearly.
Interesting article, since our labradors are in the water every day playing and doing retriever training. We have never had this problem. I have taken action photos of the dogs as they enter the water, and it is amazing to see how they hold their heads up (mouths closed) as they hit the water. I liked jerseycaptain's response. This is probably a rare occurance. The dogs would be more likely to get ill from bacteria or algae in the water than too much water. We are careful where we train, but certainly will continue to let our labs enjoy the water!
My dog will drink to much water & cause it self to vomit! I have to keep a close eye on him & only allow him small amounts at a time or he over drinks an vomits every time. He will also over eat his food. I have to feed him small amounts at a time thru out the day.. I do not know what causes this. But his father did the same thing & he died from it B4 I figured out what was going on.. Any one know what causes this? My Pit Bull :0)U
could have been Megaesophagus
In my case, one of my two Australian Shepherd dogs does enjoy going into lakes, creeks and even into the waves on the beach to play. And he will occasionally take a few laps of water. However, he has never shown any ill effects other than a little loose stool from drinking salt water. (The case of those two Border Collies could also just as easily have been them tossing up water from gulping it too fast. That is not an indication of poisoning...it's just the body ejecting a mass of rapidly ingested water...especially if it enters the windpipe...that's something humans and other animals experience too...and it is not, in of itself, an indication of overt danger).
Now, anyone worth their salt (if you'll forgive the pun, lol) knows that imbibing excessive amounts of salt water can cause brain damage and a dangerous physical condition. Fortunately, I keep a close eye on him, and he has never done more than take a few laps. My other Aussie never approaches ocean water, and only rarely goes near fresh water. But neither have ever shown any ill effects, fortunately...other than what I mentioned above.
I think the case mentioned has more to do with an owner not keeping watch on their dogs, and allowing them to drink large quantities of it. Or else from actively tossing a ball or toy into the water, and the dogs taking in large gulps while grabbing the toys from the water. That's on the owner for not being more careful.
I think the smart thing to always do is to be proactive and mindful, not worrisome. If we all go around expecting something like this is always going to happen, we're going to keep our dogs from having fun and we are going to make ourselves unduly stressed. I'd also point out that you just never know whether or not the particular body of water mentioned in this story was tainted in some way. Personally I am not going to go forward at this point keeping my dogs clear of any body of water out of fear that every droplet might be poisonous or otherwise tainted. I will just continue to be mindful, proactive and involved with my dogs in their fun. THAT'S the smart thing to do.
I think it's pretty easy to start finger-pointing and accusing the owner of being negligent, when I doubt she was. I doubt that she was even aware that something like this can happen - I don't think most people are. The full intent of the article was to make dog owners aware of what the possible repercussions of consuming large quantities of water over a short period of time could be. Thank goodness people like this are willing to share their experiences so other dogs can be spared having to suffer the same fate.
Gosh, if we all start finger pointing then how are we to learn and share our experiences with others. I for one think bringing up this subject is very valuable as not many people would be aware of the dangers that dogs can suffer from consuming to much water. Thank you for bring this subject up.
In my case, one of my two Australian Shepherd dogs does enjoy going into lakes, creeks and even into the waves on the beach to play. And he will occasionally take a few laps of water. However, he has never shown any ill effects other than a little loose stool from drinking salt water. (The case of those two Border Collies could also just as easily have been them tossing up water from gulping it too fast. That is not an indication of poisoning...it's just the body ejecting a mass of rapidly ingested water...especially if it enters the windpipe...that's something humans and other animals experience too...and it is not, in of itself, an indication of overt danger).
Now, anyone worth their salt (if you'll forgive the pun, lol) knows that imbibing excessive amounts of salt water can cause brain damage and a dangerous physical condition. Fortunately, I keep a close eye on him, and he has never done more than take a few laps. My other Aussie never approaches ocean water, and only rarely goes near fresh water. But neither have ever shown any ill effects, fortunately...other than what I mentioned above.
I think the case mentioned has more to do with an owner not keeping watch on their dogs, and allowing them to drink large quantities of it. Or else from actively tossing a ball or toy into the water, and the dogs taking in large gulps while grabbing the toys from the water. That's on the owner for not being more careful.
I think the smart thing to always do is to be proactive and mindful, not worrisome. If we all go around expecting something like this is always going to happen, we're going to keep our dogs from having fun and we are going to make ourselves unduly stressed. I'd also point out that you just never know whether or not the particular body of water mentioned in this story was tainted in some way. Personally I am not going to go forward at this point keeping my dogs clear of any body of water out of fear that every droplet might be poisonous or otherwise tainted. I will just continue to be mindful, proactive and involved with my dogs in their fun. THAT'S the smart thing to do.
Having been hospitalized for this myself, it's serious business. Thanks for posting. My dog never met a puddle she didn't love, so this is a good heads up!
That's why I use a Water Loopie Sport toy for my dog. She can grab it above the water line, minimizing water intake (especially important in the ocean!).
http://www.loopiestoys.com/products/water-loopies/
This article should include more info including details on how to avoid the condition....
Just because our dogs will do something over and over for an extended time does not mean they should. Retrieving in water should be fun and varied with retrieving on land to dry off or warm up. Ten minutes or until the dog is breathing heavily, which ever comes FIRST is plenty. Then you can do it again after a rest session. Dogs CAN get heat exhaustion even in the water and never put a hot, wet dog in a closed environment like a kennel or car. They can suffocate.
Thanks for taking the time to post this warning. I have a foster dog that loves to drink from the sprinkler. He's my 1st experience of this kind so now I know to restrict his sprinkler water consumption.
i have a question ~ does this also constitute dogs that get wobbly in the bath like they are "drunk" or falling asleep? not drinking water but just so relaxed. i find it happens in red dogs and blonde dogs. i kninda give them loving pats "wake up" to bring them back. can someone elaborate?
thanks
question about this...does this also apply to dogs that are being bathed and become wobbly, unstable, drunk-like? almost like they are falling asleep while bathed? i see this alot in the red dogs and blonde dogs. not drinking water just so relaxed they stagger and fall if you dont catch them? please someone elaborate on this that knows what exactly causes this.
thanks
No, what you describe is not water intoxication. It is most likely due to the bath water being too warm.
Can happen to people too...with the same symptoms
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. However, does this still apply to water fowl retrieving breeds? Where they're built for this sole function?
YES this applies to any and ALL breeds!!!
Thank you for sharing this....one of my dog loves attacking the water spraying out of the hose....I had to put hose away last week before completing my watering, because she was starting to choke and would not stop regardless....like children you have to set limits for some pets as well....she was gung-ho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My 8 month puppy is staying overnight at the vets tonight because he injested too much lake water. He just absolutely LOVES the water! I thought I was doing him a favor by letting him swim his little puppy heart out! He looked like he wanted to swallow the entire lake! It was funny! However, when I brought him home after our swim, he went from puppy mode to almost a death look in his eyes. I think we saved him by bringing him right away to the hospital. His symptoms were as mentioned avove in this article: lethargy, nausea, vomiting foam, dilated pupils, glazed eyes. The Vet told us that his potasium levels were 3.0 and was supposed to be between 3.5-5.0. So nonetheless, my puppy Jagger is staying overnight at the clinic with them monitoring his potasium levels all night... I never thought that too much water could cause this! Be very careful pet owners and cautious when it comes to letting your dog swim! It could turn out to be life threatening! The good thing is that my puppy is now in good hands, THANK GOD!