How to protect your dog from water poisoning
Summer, sun, high temperatures: In this weather, playing at the lake, pond or river with your dog is especially fun. However, he swallows a lot of water when playing fetch in the cool water. Here lurks a danger that you should know! For this article, we got advice from the veterinarian Mag.med.vet. Emin Jasarevic.
First, let's look at what water intoxication is, what's happening in your dog's body, and what symptoms to look out for. Tragic story
The death of Hanz, the two-year-old schnauzer from California, shocked dog lovers worldwide:
Jen Walsh spent time at the lake with her husband, daughter and dog Hanz. They let their dog fetch sticks and balls from the water for about an hour and a half, and the little four-legged friend had fun retrieving them: He ran after them and carried the "prey" back again.
But suddenly the young male dog began to tremble in the water. He seemed lethargic, as if drunk. When he came out of the lake, he didn't shake himself. Shortly afterwards, he peed on a bag.
He was breathing irregularly and his tongue was hanging out. The family took him to the vet. By this time, Hanz could no longer walk...
Just 45 minutes after the symptoms began, the young four-legged friend died on the way to the vet. He suffered brain damage due to water poisoning. Find out what you can do in a similar situation here!
What exactly is water intoxication?
Vets refer to "water intoxication" in technical terms as "hypotonic hyperhydration": your dog's body is literally flooded by excessive water intake.
Drinking is healthy in itself. In hot weather, the need for fluids increases for both humans and animals. But too much water is dangerous for your pet. Rule of thumb: Per kilo of body weight, your four-legged friend should take in about 50 - 100 milliliters of water.
**A few examples:**If your pug weighs 6 kilograms, that's 300 - 600 milliliters. For a 50 kilogram Bernese mountain dog, up to 5 liters of liquid is considered unproblematic.
This is only a rough guide. If your pet is fed dry food, it needs more liquid than a dog that is fed wet food or BARF. The outside temperature also plays a role.
This depends on your four-legged friend's weight and state of health. If your furry friend consumes around a third of its body weight in water, there is a risk of water intoxication. Smaller four-legged friends can quickly reach this amount when romping and playing.
A Labrador, Bernese Mountain Dog or St. Bernard are less at risk than a Pinscher, Yorkshire Terrier or Greyhound because of their body mass.
If you have a small, lively, slim, trained and muscular four-legged friend who loves to play in the water, you should be careful. Caution is also advised if your furry friend suffers from kidney disease.
Your dog is like you in the summer: He longs to cool off. Like most four-legged friends, he probably enjoys frolicking in the water. Perhaps he likes to play with the water hose in the garden. Or he chases after the water jets when the lawn sprinkler comes on.
And just like Schnauzer Hanz, your furry friend will probably have a lot of fun retrieving dummies and balls from lakes and ponds. However, your four-legged friend will swallow a lot of water in the process.
The increased water intake causes the electrolyte balance to become unbalanced, resulting in a relative sodium deficiency in your dog's body. This in turn causes more water to flow from the bloodstream into the cells.
The cells then swell. However, the brain in the dog's skull can only expand to a very small extent. At some point, the maximum is reached. This results in immense pressure and severe, irreparable damage.
Normally, your four-legged friend would simply urinate and remove the excess water from the body. However, when sodium levels are low, a kind of emergency program is activated: the kidneys stop working.
Cardiac arrhythmias also occur. Pulmonary edema and neurological deficits such as cramps also occur.
Some symptoms show up early. Others do not set in until later. AttentionYou will not always recognize typical signs of water poisoning immediately after bathing. If you suspect that your pet has swallowed too much water, watch him closely.
With water intoxication, your dog will suddenly seem weak, exhausted and lethargic. He may struggle to stay on his feet. He trembles and sways. You may notice that his belly seems unusually bloated.
Other early onset symptoms are vomiting, salivation and panting. His pupils may be dilated. He also shows no appetite.
The symptoms worsen quickly: a dog with water intoxication loses control of its bodily functions.
You can recognize this by coordination difficulties. He may stagger when walking. Twitching and cramps occur. Or your four-legged friend's lower jaw hangs down. He passes urine and feces unintentionally and uncontrollably.
In the last stage of water intoxication, your dog is no longer responsive: After a phase of apathy, he loses consciousness and dies.
Fast action is required here. Please do not lose time if water poisoning is suspected. Quick action can save your four-legged friend: Your dog needs to go to the vet or a veterinary clinic immediately.
- Prevent your dog from running back into the water. He must not drink any more.
- Take him to the car as quickly as possible and make your way to the vet.
- Feed him salt sticks and salt cookies on the way there. In this way, you can try to compensate for the sodium deficiency. However, this will only work if your four-legged friend is still able to eat.
In order for your veterinarian to classify the symptoms, he needs information:
- Report your suspicions.
- Tell us how long your dog played in the water.
- Also tell us about your observations: How did your dog behave? What alarmed you?
A blood test provides information about the electrolyte levels. However, sometimes four-legged friends die even though the electrolyte balance has been restored.
The best thing to do is to prevent water poisoning. You can do that with these five tips.
Tip 1: Inform family members and friends about the danger
Maybe you're spending a family vacation at the lake with your kids. Or you are with friends at the lake or with neighbors in the garden:Educate them about the danger of water poisoning.
Tip 2: Watch out
Keep an eye on your darling and**do not let him play with water unsupervised. **This applies to a stay in your own garden with pool and garden hose as well as to walks along the river or a picnic by the lake.
Tip 3: Keep play sessions in the water short
Feel free to allow your dog to jump into the water. But**pay attention to short play sessions. **Once your furry friend has retrieved items from the water a few times, it's time for some fun on land.
Tip 4: Use flat objects for retrieval
When your dog grabs a ball in the lake, paddling pool or river, he has to open his catch wide. Accordingly, a lot of water gets into his stomach. Work with dummies or find a suitable stick outside. **The flatter and smaller the object, the better. This lowers the water absorption. **However, make sure that the object is not too small to avoid the risk of swallowing.
Tip 5: No diving after apportels
When diving for objects, your pet will also swallow a lot of water. It is best to avoid this. It is best to throw the retrieve in the dry.
Emergencies and accidents can happen at any time. That's why a first aid kit for your dog belongs in the car, in your backpack or in your pocket.
- Save the phone number of your family veterinarian, the nearest veterinary clinic and of veterinarians at your vacation or current location into your cell phone. In case of emergency, you don't have time to google for them.
- Park your car so that you can reach it quickly. This is useful in case of water intoxication as well as in case of injuries caused by an accident or biting with a conspecific.
- If you are planning a stay by the water, pack salt sticks and salt cookies.
Water poisoning can be fatal. That's why you should supervise your four-legged friend in the water. Make sure that he does not swallow too much water. If you suspect that your four-legged friend has water poisoning, go to the nearest vet immediately.
For emergencies, it's good to have salt sticks and salt cookies on board. If your furry friend is still able to eat, feed them something on the way to the vet.
Veterinarian Mag.med.vet. Emin Jasarevic
I am a veterinarian and writer on animal health topics. Animals are my passion, and it is my personal goal to create medically accurate articles and videos to educate pet owners as much as possible.
