Is Sea Water Good For Golden Retrievers?

Golden Retrievers, like most dogs, are water lovers. Pools, beaches, ponds, and even water hoses are some of their favorites.

Is salt water bad for Golden Retrievers? 

Simply put, the answer is yes! Despite having some benefits for dogs, consuming excess seawater can have fatal effects on your dog.

Table of Contents

Effects Of Sea Water On Golden Retriever’s Health

Golden Retrievers, among many breeds of dogs, love water bodies a lot. Some like to play in pools, while others like to play at the beach. The seawater is salt water, and if your dog ingests it, it has several side effects.

If your dog digests saltwater/seawater, the salt pulls water away from the blood to the intestines, which can result in

• Dehydration.
• Diarrhea.
• Vomiting.
• Instability in electrolyte balance(destabilizes balance in fluids in your dog)

Effects of Sea Water on Golden Retriever’s Fur

Saltwater can be beneficial to dogs, but it is more drying as compared to freshwater. In addition, seawater has several side effects on the skin of golden retrievers.

A number of them include:

• Change in skin color
• Dehydrated skin
• Stiff skin

Benefits of Sea Water on Golden Retrievers

Earlier, we mentioned that seawater has some benefits for your dogs. Let’s take a look at some of them.

In his research of the effects of seawater on dogs, Rene Quinton has found out some exciting and lovely things seawater/saltwater does for our dogs. 

Seawater has almost all the elements in the periodic table and also a wide range of additional nutrients. After various experiments, he discovered some benefits of seawater on dogs’ skin.

From this research, we learned that:

• Bathing your dog with seawater improves the state of its dermis
• It strengthens the immune system and protects it from pathogens (enhancing dog skin defense)
• It aids in the regeneration of damaged tissues
• It is used in disinfecting wounds(first aid)
• Relieves skin itching

Sea Water for Scabies Treatment

Seawater can help relieve problems caused by skin conditions. A typical example of such a problem is scabies.

Sarcoptic mange, otherwise known as scabies in dogs, is usually caused by Sarcoptes scabies mites. This is a very contagious skin parasite.

These mites dig deep into the skin and cause severe itching and discomfort that can lead to the formation of scabs and cause severe loss of hair. It might also interest you to know that this parasite is not seasonal.

For the treatment of scabies, using seawater is quite effective. There are several ways to make use of it, and one is. Allowing your dog to swim freely enables the water to act and take effect on the infected skin.

Mites are also washed away, thereby reducing the chances of scabies by disinfecting them and relieving any itching the dog has. Note: this is more like first aid treatment until your appointment with the vet.

After bathing in seawater, always ensure you bathe the dog properly in freshwater with its prescribed shampoo. Ensure the shampoo is dermo protective to avoid further damage to your dog’s skin.

If you don’t have seawater, you can always purchase bottled seawater that you keep around for first-aid use.

Another way to use seawater in treating scabies is olive oil and seawater spray. This is a lot safer than seawater baths, especially with golden retrievers. To make this, you will need a spray jar, seawater, and olive oil.

Procedure:

• Wash the spray jar elegant with clean water, preferably distilled water.
• Add seawater into the jar (use a sensible measurement, preferably 100mls).
• For 100mls of seawater, add a tablespoon full of olive oil.
• Mix the substance properly or even shake carefully and spray directly to the affected area.

This particular solution can be used for other skin conditions such as:

• Pyoderma
• Psoriasis
• Dermatitis
• Allergies (that cause itching or inflammation)
• Ringworm

How to Treat Seawater Poisoning in Dogs

There has been no specified medication or treatment for seawater poisoning in golden retrievers. Still, there are ways you can help your dog if it has ingested excess seawater. They are:

• Monitor the dog. You have to stay really close to your dog during this period to help you know which symptoms your dog is displaying.
• Get a neat towel and place your dog on it.
• Administer fresh water in small quantities, preferably every thirty minutes (to replace lost body fluids).
• Administer ORS (oral rehydration salts) to regain lost electrolytes.
• Hold back on feeding your dog for at least a day after the last vomit. Instead, give it a simple and less spicy meal in tiny portions. For example, you can provide white rice and boiled chicken with skin and bones removed.

If everything goes back to normal after 3 days, you can start feeding your dog its regular meal again. If not, you might need to take your dog to the vet.

[amazon bestseller=”dog pool toys for large dogs” items=”3″ template=”table”]