Water Intoxication

[Stonebroke]

Over the past few years I've placed 2 pups that died from Water Intoxication with people . Since then I've been trying to get the word out and in talking with other people I've learned that others have lost dogs to Water Intoxication.

What happens is that people go to a lake, river, etc. and toss sticks, dummies, etc. for their dog. That's usually not a problem, of course, but some dogs will do this for hours if they are allowed to. Over the course of a couple of hours a dog can swallow large amounts of water... They are retrieving sticks, etc. and are swimming with their mouths partially open. The excessive intake of water depletes the sodium level in their blood which can cause heart failure. There are usually no signs until the dog is in trouble.

If you are at a lake with your dog throwing dummies, sticks, etc. and your dog starts throwing up water, get your dog to a vet immediately. Do not wait...get your dog in your vehicle and go! That's usually the first sign that there is a problem. Dogs can also have seizures which is another more serious sign. If you get your dog to the vet in time they can usually be saved, but not always.

I've found that most people have never heard of this problem. It is more common that most people realize.

 

[PheasantWhisperer]

I seen it happen once at a recreation lake with a golden. I think the technical term is polydipsia which is just fancy science talk for water intoxication. Sometimes the water can "go down the wrong pipe" too. I think that's what happened with this one.

 

[Stonebroke]

It can happen with any breed/dog that loves to retrieve from water. It killed a Golden Retriever here last summer also. It's not something to be paranoid about...just something to be aware of. My dogs would rather swim than eat, so I make sure they do not swim and retrieve for extended periods of time. If I didn't make them come out of the water, they wouldn't.....