Dogs and the sea

CorvusCorax

CorvusCorax

Deary me...
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Sooo...I'd bought a couple of pairs of waders and was enjoying doing a little swimming with the Floofster, (say, three goes around in either direction, twice during the session) primarily to help firm up his pasterns and everything else.
Now a couple of people have told me that this can be dangerous as swallowing salt water and sand (I throw balls into the sea and on the beach and initially enticed him into the river which flows into it, by chucking in kibble) can damage the dog's internal organs.
So I have stopped this for now and will be sticking to freshwater rivers.

Has anyone's dog suffered any ill-effects from swimming in the sea?
 
I guess it depends on the dog, but my Springer Spaniel is a complete nutter on the beach. Her obsession with the sea takes over! I don't know how much she must drink. Also, she digs endlessly in the sand and eats stones. When we are on holiday, her poos are more sand sausages than the usual material. Everything goes straight through. I always make sure we have plenty of fresh water to drink though as she gets very thirsty.

My Yorkie always thinks the sea looks a good idea until her gets in it, then he stands there, thinks for a few seconds (as far as Yorkies are able to think) and scuttles out again. But he usually tries the sea water for flavour while he's there especially if it's a hot day.

I've never had any problems, from 20 years of beach holidays with dogs. Our more common problem tends to be dogs that jump off harbour walls or beach walls without engaging brain!

Last year however, my Spaniel did come back from Cornwall with a honking cough like kennel cough, which she may have picked up from drinking out of communal dog bowls outside shops. Or there was a bit of beach at St Ives where a drain discharged, we didn't realise until too late. My son got a tummy upset when he was younger playing near an outlet.

Personally I'm less keen on fresh water because of the blue-green algae problem in summer.
 
Thanks :) he never gets 'beach tummy' or has sloppy poos or is sick after the beach. With him being so young I don't want to break him :o

He does get lots of proper water too when he's done.
 
Yeah, that's the issue, competition dog swum for a mile along a sea wall every day now has dehydration! Has freaked me out a bit. We do have access to a spring water horse pool, we can use that when he is older but it's a bit deep/too much work for him right now being so young.
 
Sadly not near a beach but at Christmas, big dog and loony boy (Zak) had a trip to Tynemouth cos we were visiting my parents. Zak didnt go near the water, Brig had to be recalled before attempting the entire swim to Norway. Both were fine.

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I don't think you can even see Brig in this pic! I was too busy checking on the small mad one to notice that he was so far out!
 
My daughter and her boyfriend took two of our dogs to the beach and the Golden Retriever (a real water lover!) insisted on drinking sea water and was violently sick. No long term problems, thankfully!
 
Yeah, I'm more worried about repeated/accumulative exposure rather than one off trips (we're at the beach at least twice a week).

Have found a nice spot in a river three villages away where I won't have to parade in front of the whole neighbourhood in my glamorous waders to get there :)
 
Our old Springer Kerry adored the sea...as she got older we had to leave her at home when me or my bro were going surfing as she loved to paddle right the way out with us and do a doggy version of body surfing but as she got older she wasn't able for it. She died at age 17 having been in the sea every day since she was a puppy and no ill effects. We always made sure she had access to fresh water straight after a swim
 
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