Can pool water irritate dogs skin? Here’s What to Expect

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Dogs who take frequent dips in the family pool may suffer from dry, itchy skin and a dry, dull coat because the chemicals in pool water strip the skin and coat of their natural oils. Chlorinated water may also have a slight bleaching effect on dark coats, and could even turn lighter coats (gasp!) greenish. To avoid these nasty side effects without banning your eager retriever from the pool (as if that would work), do just these simple things.

During pool season, spray your dog’s coat with a coat conditioner before he goes into the pool. This will help protect skin and the coat from drying. If you can find one that also contains sunscreen, all the better (because dogs can get skin cancer, too).

After every swim—or at the end of each day, if your dog tends to jump in and out of the pool all day—rinse his coat thoroughly with cool water. Rinse longer than you think is necessary to remove all the chlorine and other pool chemicals. Towel-dry or blow-dry if appropriate. If your dog has a medium or long coat, follow the rinse with another spray of coat conditioner and a swipe-through with a comb. Get all the way down to the skin—mats can hide, and when they dry they’ll get tighter. Missing one for even a day during the summer can result in a knotty problem.

Once each week during swim season, comb out all tangles and bathe him thoroughly with a gentle moisturizing shampoo and conditioner that will rid the coat of chlorine residue and restore moisture to a dry coat. These three simple steps will make a noticeable difference in the effect chlorinated water will have on your dog’s coat. For good measure, an omega-3 fatty-acid supplement can help replenish natural coat oils from the inside out.

After a swim, or even a bath, dry the insides of your dog’s ears as well as you can with a towel or cotton balls. This is important for all dogs, but especially for those with floppy ears because the earflap can prevent your dog’s ears from drying out after a swim. Weekly or even monthly application of an ear wash made for dogs can also help keep ears infection-free. Ask your veterinarian if an ear wash would be appropriate for your sassy swimmer.

This article originally appeared in the award-winning AKC Family Dog magazine. Subscribe today!

Pet Wellbeings own Dr. Jan has been in veterinary practice for over 30 years. Since receiving her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, shes founded two veterinary clinics and lectured extensively on pet herbal therapy, nutraceuticals, acupuncture, rehabilitation and pain management. Dr. Jan has studied extensively in both conventional and holistic modalities, helping us to formulate all of our supplements. She is an essential part of Pet Wellbeing. And lucky for us, shes only one of the great team of people who make Pet Wellbeing so special. PREVIOUS POST

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Can Dogs Drink Pool Water? Whether A Salt Water Pool Or Chlorine Pool, Too Much Can Be Bad For Them

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#ebe7dc” background_=”https://twoadorablelabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Dots.png” background_position=”bottom_center” custom_padding=”5%||8%||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_post_title author=”off” comments=”off” featured_=”off” _builder_version=”4.16″ title_text_align=”center” title_font_size=”41px” meta_font=”Poppins|600|||||||” meta_text_align=”center” meta_text_color=”#c6a87b” meta_letter_spacing=”3px” meta_line_height=”2.8em” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_post_title][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Blacker||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”2em” text_orientation=”center” width=”75%” width_tablet=”” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]I recently took Jake and Maggie to swim in my sister’s pool and two days later, I noticed dry skin and dandruff on Jake and then Maggie. This prompted me to do some research as I did not think about the chlorinated water giving them dry, itchy skin. I know that the dogs should not drink the pool water and also made sure that Jake’s nose was not getting sunburned. With him being a chocolate lab and having lighter eyes and skin than Maggie, I made sure not to keep them out long. They wore themselves out and within an hour or two, we were sitting in the shade under the porch canopy. I rescheduled their grooming appointment to an earlier date and requested an extra conditioning treatment which really helped.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_ src=”https://twoadorablelabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Pups-at-the-pool.png” alt=”Jake at the pool” title_text=”Pups at the pool” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Blacker||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”2em” text_orientation=”center” width=”75%” width_tablet=”” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]Chlorine can dry out our skin and hair and our dogs aren’t immune either.

Dogs who take frequent dips in the family pool may suffer from dry, itchy skin and a dry, dull coat because the chemicals in pool water strip the skin and coat of their natural oils. Chlorinated water may also have a slight bleaching effect on dark coats, and could even turn lighter coats greenish. To avoid these nasty side effects, do these simple things. They will make a noticeable difference in the effect chlorinated water will have on your dog’s coat.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_ src=”https://twoadorablelabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Maggie-swimming-2020.png” alt=”Swimaholic” title_text=”Maggie swimming 2020″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.3″ text_font=”Blacker||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”2em” text_orientation=”center” width=”75%” width_tablet=”” width_phone=”100%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]Looking for a good quality coat conditioner for your pet, try these companies:

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