My dog swims daily; is cold ocean water safe for his health?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Those dogs are amazing! It should be okay for dogs to swim if they want to, as long as it is sunny and they have access to dry bedding/towels. For the lab with arthritis, swimming is actually great exercise as it is low impact - just be careful with her getting in and out of the pool. I hope this helps and that all is well!

That is hot! Chlorinated pool water can cause an over drying of the skin. A baby pool full of tap water that is safe to drink is less likely to cause dry skin and is fine for the dogs to get in. Try to provide shade, elevated beds to allow circulation and fans if possible. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello, thank you for your question about Oscar. Taking your dog to the beach can be a great way to get them outside and allow them to get exercise. Yes, generally it is safe to let Oscar into the water. However, please prevent him from drinking from the ocean as large amounts of salt water can lead to problems. Additionally, it is also important to ensure that Oscar doesn't ingest things off the beach (trash, shells, crabs, etc) as these can lead to stomach upset and often people leave litter that can be harmful to pets. Another thing to keep in mind is encountering other dog's on the beach. Hopefully only dogs that are friendly and can play nicely would be allowed to be off leash at the beach, however this is not always the case. If you see another dog or group of dog's approaching I would try to keep Oscar close to you to prevent any kind of altercation. Hope this helps!

You can put a cotton ball down in the ears and this can help to keep some water out but you must remember to retrieve the cotton ball afterwards and realize that some water will still get in the ears. Your veterinarian carries cleaning solutions that can help to dry out any water that gets in the ear canal and it’s a good idea to use this after swim. Oscar is a little dog and so he loses body heat faster than a bigger dog. Dogs often don’t care about water temperature but if it is cold outside (low 70’s or below), I do not advise to let Oscar get in the water. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello. You just need to use your own senses. If the water looks very cloudy & there is obvious scum on the water & collecting on the shore, stay away. If the water smells particularly putrid, stay away. Basically, if you would not go into the water, neither should your dog & everyone will stay safe. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

That is generally fine, especially considering the limited depth. Unfortunately I cannot rule out completely accidents, but these are quite rare with young and healthy dogs like Max. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

You can start now by letting her walk into the water and play in the water. eventually as she gets older and grows up she will be more daring in the water and will voluntarily go for a swim if asked. Do not overdo it, 8 weeks is like a 1 year old human toddler. Play it by ear and only let her play in the water as much as she actually wants. Bring a towel and make sure to dry her well after coming out so she will not get cold and connects the water with something nice as rubbing and drying her body.