You must have experienced safety concerns if you have pets that love water, or you’re able to train them to get into the water without hassle.
To help your pet know its limit around water, there are things to know about water safety with pets.
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This is important, regardless of whether your pet’s only encounter with water is during grooming.
What Are Water Do’s and Don’ts for Pet Owners?
1. Unless your pet is a dog breed like Poodle, German Shepherd, Irish Water Spaniel, or a tropical climate cat, getting into the water is not something most pets find comfort in.
Don’t force your pets in water until they show some willingness to get into it themselves.
It takes planning and patience to get pets in the water.
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2. If you have dog breeds with short legs and snout, swimming should be thoroughly supervised or avoided as these pets get tired quickly and have short breaths.
Ensure these types of pets don’t contact in the water until you have a life vest on them.
3. Swimming in unhealthy or stagnant water can compromise your pet’s health.
Caution your dog from swimming in such places and make alternative means to help them swim.
Also, encouraging your pet to swim in the seashores with potentially harmful sea life and strong tidal waves is risky and should be avoided.
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4. If you’re taking your pet along for a fishing trip, ensure it has the life jacket on.
If your pet is new to trips on the boat and becomes nervous, help your pet adapt by keeping it close and comfortable and training your dog to remain quiet while you fish.
5. When going for a boat ride with your dog, ensure there’s enough water to keep both of you hydrated.
You can make shade to shield your pet from direct sun rays and use special dog’s sunscreen to protect its eyes.
6. Train your dog to only drink from the water you provide and not from the pool.
Drinking from treated pool water can upset your dog’s stomach.
The safe water for a pet is what is suitable for humans. Avoid giving the pet water that is distilled or unsuitable for you.
7. Once your dog or pet is done swimming, wash your pet with shampoo and freshwater.
8. Dog’s ears and eyes can quickly get infected.
Ensure that you properly dry the ears.
You may leave the eyes for more professional cleaning when you visit a groomer shop or a veterinarian.
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9. Supervise your dog or other pets and ensure they aren’t feeding on items from the shores.
It’s advised to work on the “Leave it” command so it can stop immediately when you catch it picking items.
If your pet eventually eats something before you stop it, or won’t listen to your command, contact the veterinarian for assistance.
10. Your dog may experience difficulty if you taught it to only pass excretion in the toilet.
Part of preparing a boat trip is to re-train your dog to adjust to the boat situation for toilet stops.
Taking your dog out to swim, fish, or on a boat ride requires prior planning.
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Ensure you’re able to supervise and command your dog and help it avoid trouble as much as you can.
