# Drinking Pool Water!!



## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

My dogs swim everyday and do happen to drink a bit of pool water without any problem!.I wouldn't worry about it unless it gives them dirrihea or they drink large amounts of it!.


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## Dog (Sep 26, 2006)

It's common sense really. How do we and our children react when we take an occasional big swallow of pool water? I don't think it's a problem if your dog as plenty of fresh water indoors and outdoors (I presume the pool water is not his only source of water).

_This is from the:
*ONLINE PET CARE LIBRARY:*

*"Can my dog drink from the swimming pool? Will this hurt him?" * 

Answer The occasional drink of swimming pool water won't hurt most dogs. However, it is not recommended. The concentration of chlorine and other chemicals in the water is low enough that your dogs would have to drink quite a lot for it to be dangerous. People sometimes swallow pool water on accident too, with no serious consequences._

_You can keep your pups' trips to the pool to a minimum by making sure they have lots of fresh water both inside and outside and* by keeping the pool fenced off or covered when you aren't swimming (unsupervised pets around pools are at risk of accidental drowning). *You can also watch your dogs for diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, or other signs of stomach problems. If their health and behavior seem fine, then their little chlorine habit is probably not a problem._

If I was rich and had a pool I would let my GR swim with us and when we are not using the pool our GR would not be near it either because chlorine is still a chemical that kills bacteria after all. Dangerous or not I wouldn't drink a "little of it" everyday!

If you post a photo of the swimming pool maybe members could give you ideas on how to make it safe.


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## wagondog (Aug 24, 2007)

If you maintain your chlorine at 1.5 ppm which it should be and the ph at 7.5 your pool water is exactly what comes through your kitchen faucet if you live in a city which chlorinates the water. That all goes out the window if you add chemicals for algae and other stuff.


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## kblinkgirlie182 (Mar 15, 2009)

I was going to say it is likely that your drinking water is chlorinated. Your dog should be fine.


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## Dog (Sep 26, 2006)

wagondog said:


> That all goes out the window if you add chemicals for algae and other stuff.


Indeed it does! And yes, you do need all the added chemicals for algae and other stuff for swimming pools! 

I understand that people in the city drink chlorinated water but none the less they would not go to a community swimming pool and dip a glass in and have a drink.


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## NapaValleyGolden (Mar 24, 2008)

mm03gn said:


> Well we opened the pool last weekend - and Bailey will not keep her head out of it!!! She will not jump in - she is afraid of the pool when anyone is in it, but when she's out in the backyard, she is beside the pool, grabbing leaves, blowing bubbles...and I'm SURE drinking lots of the water :doh: Every time I go to bring her in, her entire face is all wet...what do I do?? Is it ok for her to drink pool water?? The pool is chlorine, not salt water... and DH makes sure to only shock the pool once the dogs are inside for the night. I feel like there is no way I can prevent this...any advice is greatly appreciated!



Not to worry, Jake drank out of our pool for years, as does our son's dog when he is here. We have an automatic cover that is only open when we're home, so they aren't drinking out of it all the time. 

There is always plenty of fresh water for them and we've never had any problems with them drinking pool water. I don't think I could keep Duke away from the pool...as soon as he hears the cover opening he is down the steps and heading to the water...


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## wagondog (Aug 24, 2007)

If we consider that all our dogs will drink from flower pots in the back yard, puddles of standing water where ever they find them.....chlorinated pool water may be safer. Lest we forget animals in the wild don't have their owners filling their bowls with bottled water from the supermarket


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## alanckaye (Feb 7, 2009)

I have the salt generator so I don't worry much about them drinking some water but when I do let them in (once or twice a month) they swallow so much water that they spend the rest of the day in the yard peeing. I mean 30 second pees, they really swallow a lot of water. Is that common for them to gulp the water? Does anyone else' dog's pee a bunch after swimming?


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## Dog (Sep 26, 2006)

wagondog said:


> If we consider that *all our dogs *will drink from flower pots in the back yard, puddles of standing water where ever they find them.....chlorinated pool water may be safer. Lest we forget *animals in the wild don't have their owners filling their bowls with bottled water *from the supermarket


My princess doesn't drink from flower pots in the back garden (there aren't any - And as responsible dog owners we make sure that it stays that way) or puddles of standing water where ever she finds them. When she goes in the park we take a bottle of tap water with us.

Wild animals don't have owners. Anyway my GR is not a wild animal and therefore I provide her with clean water twice a day and she has 2 bowls in the house (plus an extra in the garden when it is hot).

We live in the city and she is our first pet dog and her health is as important as ours because if she should become sick, we would be very upset. And we would have to pay the bills but this put aside I simply do not want to see my GR get sick if I can help it... I believe that PREVENTION is the key word here.

I have read so many heartbroken stories on this forum and I hope that I would never have to post a similar one. And if that means *being over cautious EVERY DAY* then so be it (I was the same with my daughter).


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