by Janet Farricelli CPDT-KA

Created on: November 04, 2009   Last Updated: November 05, 2009

That splendid day spent at the beach with your dog may bring home more than fond memories of the sight of waves and the pleasant scent of the ocean breeze. Indeed, dogs may pay a high price for the hours spent rolling in the sand and playfully trying to catch the waves. The culprit of a great day turned bad is known as "beach diarrhea" and it comes as a courtesy of the salt water your dog ingests as he enthusiastically romps around amid the waves with that ball or Frisbee in its mouth.

It is very important, first of all, to recognize that dogs should never be allowed to deliberately drink salt water. Drinking salt water in large amounts and very quickly may ultimately cause the dog to vomit it back up, with the devastating effect of making the dog further prone to dehydration, especially if he is romping around a lot under the hot summer sun.

To make things worse, the ingestion of sand along with the salt water may further irritate the intestinal tract causing the symptoms to exacerbate. Not only that, at times salt water may also contain dangerous microorganisms, toxins, algae, and harmful bacteria.

A common misconception is that in order for a dog to develop beach diarrhea it must drink salt water. It is often forgotten that dogs may ingest repeatedly small amounts of salted water by grasping that salt water drenched tennis ball or by simply getting splashed by the waves when the dog's mouth is open.

Dogs should therefore be restricted to drink only fresh water brought along just for Rover from home. This fresh water should be offered in a clean bowl frequently throughout the day. Dogs at the beach should also be allowed to rest at frequent intervals (at least every fifteen minutes may suffice) in order to prevent excess fluid loss and over heating which could pave the road to dangerous heat stroke.

As seen, beach diarrhea can be prevented by providing fresh water and limiting the ingestion of salt water. Should the dog still develop beach diarrhea, the good news is, that generally if not much was ingested, it will be short lived and the dog will progressively improve within a short time. If the dog however does not get better and becomes lethargic, disinterested in its surroundings, and loses interest in food, a vet should be consulted promptly.

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