Ask the Vet with Dr. Mark: Water Safety for Dogs

by Mark Nunez, DVM

© WIlly Volk via Flickr

Dear Dr. Mark:


Our dogs love swimming and enjoy boating with us. They are well behaved in the boat and we love taking them out with us. I would like to know if there are any boating safety suggestions you have to make sure our dogs Ringo and George are always safe. We have used ski vests on them at times but they don't need them for swimming; they are good swimmers. 


We take our boat out on big lakes where it is very deep. Sometimes I worry about they get tired or swallow too much water. I guess I'm just writing to get any advice you want to pass on about them swimming in the big lake we take the boat to. I read the article about gator safety and started to worry. I do not think we have gators here in Iowa.

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Being from south Louisiana, boating was a way of life for me.  It is a wonderful place to be and since dogs were always a part of my life, they were with me to share this wonderful time.  There are several things to consider while out on the water with our 4 legged family members.  These tips are for dogs that swim in lakes (pools and oceans have there own set of pitfalls).

• A serious health risk exists in certain parts of the country at certain times of the year, and that is blue-green algae.  Check with your local officials about this. 

• Be sure your dogs know how to swim.  Not all dogs take to the water naturally.  They should be introduced to swimming gradually and from the shore.  Appropriate canine life-vests/floatation devices are a must when out on open water.  Vests that are specifically made for dogs are best. 

• Something many people forget about is to have plenty of clean water for your dog to drink.  Do your best to prevent your dog from drinking lake water by making sure he drinks fresh/clean water before going in and periodically throughout the day.  These excursions usually happen in the summer time, and dehydration is a concern.  Lake water is not the best to drink, even if algae is not a problem in your area. 

• Be aware of what’s under the surface of the water.  If swimming from shore, sharp rocks can injure paws, so be sure to inspect them frequently. 

• Be sure to rinse or bathe your dog after returning home.  Also, be sure to clean and dry their ears. 

• Apply sunscreen to dogs with thin coats and pay particular attention to white dogs; they get sun burned very easily. 

• Do not push your dog to swim for prolonged periods of time.  Even with a life vest, they will get tired and need to take breaks. 

Follow these tips and you will ensure that your dog enjoys his time on the water every bit as much as you do.  Thanks for reading and please do not hesitate to ask questions. 

Dr. Mark

© courtesy M.N.

Dr. Nunez is a practicing veterinarian while also assisting patients through The Balanced Canine blog and his own online veterinary pharmacy. 

Have a question for Dr. Mark? Send it to LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com. You can also follow Mark on Twitter.

Read More By and About Dr. Mark:
Dog Care: Do's and Don'ts for First Time Dog Owners

A Changing of the Guard Dog: Meet Your New Ask the Vet Columnist 

Are Amoebae Dangerous to Swimming Dogs?

My Dog Licks His Packmate's Eyes

More on Gator Safety:

Gator Safety during Mating Season

Gators and their Dangers to Dogs: An Update on Seasonal Issues

Saving Your Dog and Yourself in the Event of a Gator Attack

Ask the Vet, with Dr. Mark: Are Amoebae Dangerous to Swimming Dogs?

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© Gilbert, reader copyright on file
Cahill Enjoys a Summer Swim

Dear Dr. Mark,

My Genoa likes to swim when we go in the boat or walk to the lake. We are careful about allowing her to swim in areas where gators have been seen. I was glad to read the articles here about gators and how to be more safe around fresh water.

My question is about the amoeba (ameba?) that I have read about that are dangerous to humans in warm water such as lakes and rivers during Summer. Is this something I should worry about with Genoa? She's a chocolate Lab that loves to swim as most Labs do. I hate to keep her out of the water and she has never had ear troubles or any problems with swimming. Are there any worries about amoeba for dogs? Thank you for your helpful information. Karen Y.

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Hi Karen,

Great question!  Amoebae, Entamoeba histolytica if you wanna get fancy, are protozoan organisms that are found in tropical and subtropical regions; therefore we just don’t see many cases up here in New York, and I really had to do some digging to refresh my memory J.  Amoeba infections can be pretty serious in humans, primates, and reptiles, but are rarely an issue in dogs.  People usually become infected when exposed to food or water that is contaminated by human feces.  Yuk!  Right? 

© courtesy Water Project

 Humans carry the infective form of the organism and WE actually transit this issue to dogs or cats.  For the few number of dogs that do actually develop disease, it can cause a mucoid/bloody diarrhea secondary to ulcerative colitis.  Rarely these organisms can affect the liver, kidneys, and brain.  I said rarely, but I should say extremely rarely.  

The bottom line here is that it is not enough of an issue to make me even think twice about keeping a lab out of the water.  That’s almost as bad as keeping a fish out of the water!  This would be analogous to saying never go to the mall because you might catch a cold.  If Genoa would happen to get it, it is very easily treated with Metronidazole, an antibiotic.  If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  Thanks for reading!

© courtesy M.N.

Dr. Mark

Dr. Nunez is a practicing veterinarian while also assisting patients through The Balanced Canine blog and his own online veterinary pharmacy. 

Have a question for Dr. Mark? Send it to LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com. You can also follow Mark on Twitter.  

Read More By and About Dr. Mark:
Dog Care: Do's and Don'ts for First Time Dog Owners

A Changing of the Guard Dog: Meet Your New Ask the Vet Columnist 

My Dog Licks His Packmate's Eyes

***Thanks to the Gilbert family for sharing Cahill as a cover model for today's post.

Drown-Proofing Your Dog on Blog the Change Day

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Can You Swim?

This past week I had a canine visitor. An adorable, calm, friendly, albeit big and stocky, Pit Bull, wandered up while I was outside with Tanner and Oliver. He wore a beautiful leather collar that spoke volumes of the fact that he had a home. But there was no tag to indicate where that home might be. Little did we know that he was about to become the topic of our Blog the Change post today.






Our new friend hung out on our cul-de-sac throughout the day, wandering in and out of my screened porch while the door was propped open for easy in and outs to do yard work and such. Tanner and Oliver greeted him nicely and they had a non-eventful afternoon... until....


Later, while Tanner was on the porch enjoying some fresh air after dinner, he came running inside with great anxiety evident in his body language. He seemed to want to show me something. It was a Lassie moment. You know:

 "What's that girl? The barn's on fire?"

I followed Tanner to the porch only to find our earlier visitor struggling in the pool. He clearly was not a swimmer, even though he apparently lives nearby in this densely waterway-rich area of Central Florida that we call home. I managed to salvage his roughly 60 pound brawn by grabbing that beautiful leather collar and guiding him to the steps where I lifted him, with the help of the water, to the first step. Whew!


At this point the poor fella was spent. I don't know how long he was in the pool, but the evidence of his slip and fall was found at the screen door, which he pushed his way through in order to visit Tanner again--apparently. The fall had to be traumatic, as a chair and a flower pot went into the drink with him.

It took him a while to rest up under my Elm tree before he decided he was ready to head for home, wherever that is. I wanted to attach a note to his collar: 


Needless to say, I would have felt horrible if I had found a drowned dog in my pool, despite the fact that he plunged through my screen door. I hope his owners would have too. 


All dogs need some basic swimming experiences; most do actually. Having some water stamina and the understanding to look for steps in a pool seems critical to those that have water nearby in any form. Even our sea-walls along the lake prevent exit unless you can find a ladder or steps to the surface. This is definitely a learned skill.


My Papillon, Oliver, is no Olympian. He'd probably prefer NOT to swim at all. But with a pool and a lake in his back yard, I have not given him a chance to get his way. As soon as he was old enough and it was warm, we taught him to swim, and to know where the steps were in the pool. 


With some regularity, I place him in the pool at different locations along the edge and tell him to swim to the steps. He always knows which way to go, and can even do a 180 degree turn to head in the right direction. Yay Oliver! At 10 lbs., he could easily be knocked into the pool when he and Tanner play on the pool deck, so drown proofing Oliver seemed a necessity. 


I've linked to my post on teaching Oliver to swim, as well as one about helping him learn to find the steps. These outline my easy-does-it approach for anxious dogs who are not eager to be amphibious. Yet you could take this approach with a young lab as well. Who doesn't like to be taught a scary skill with patience and gentleness? 


This drown-proofing cause is near and dear to my heart here in Central Florida, where lakes are everywhere and swimming pools...ditto. Whether your area has lakes, rivers, retention ponds, or the ocean, your dog should have some basic swimming skills, and be exercised enough to maintain treading water for several minutes until he is able to find a shallow area, steps, or another way out of the wet stuff. Please don't wait till it's too late!


Before I close, let me mention that even Oliver had some thoughts on this topic. He's shared them at "Water Safety for Us Pups" at 5 Minutes for Fido. There's a video there of a dog saving another dog from a swimming pool. Lucky dog. Hopefully it won't be yours.

© Carrie Boyko
Oliver Struts his Stuff!