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Taking your dog for a walk out in nature is one of the best ways to have fun together! However, when you’re enjoying time with your fur baby, make sure to keep him from drinking from a stream!
Has your dog drunk from a stream? Are you worried the stream water will make your dog sick? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. We understand it can be scary when your dog drinks something like this.
In this article, we’ll take a look at stream water and whether it can make a dog sick. Let’s get started!
What’s in Stream Water?
A stream is a water body that’s wider than a creek but not as wide as a river. The water in a stream flows continually in most places along the streambed. Because the water looks clean and flows right along, you’d think that stream water in nature is pristine and clean. However, water found in nature may contain all kinds of bad things. Let’s take a look.
Stream water may contain:
Parasites: love to live in stream water. They can include cryptosporidium, giardia, and other parasites.
Bacteria: water-borne bacteria are another problem. Steams may contain bacteria such as Leptospira, salmonella, E. coli, and salmonella, amongst others.
Chemicals: stream water that looks and smells clean can also carry poisonous chemicals, such as herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides, and more.
As you can see, drinking stream water can be very harmful to dogs and even humans!
Symptoms of Stream Water Ingestion in Dogs
You may notice these symptoms if your dog has drunk stream water:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Difficulty breathing
- Excessive drooling
- lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Seizures
- Weakness
- Dehydration
- Collapse
- And more
If your dog shows any of these symptoms (or others), then call the vet right away. This is an emergency.
It’s best not to wait and see if your dog’s symptoms improve or worsen. That’s because some toxins in the water don’t take much time to cause damage to internal organs and make your dog very sick. Your dog needs medical treatment as soon as possible.
The good news is that dogs who receive prompt medical treatment have a better chance of making a full recovery after drinking stream water!
So, when you’re out walking along the river, be sure to carry plenty of water for you and your dog. If your dog stays hydrated, he may not be so tempted to drink water that could make him very sick!
Connect with a verified veterinarian in minutes. Licensed vets are available 24/7 to answer your questions. No need to worry about your furry family member.
Kyoko
Kyoko is from a family of 3 and moved to New York with her parents and siblings when she was 13. Kyoko is fond of spending a great amount of time with pets, specifically her beagle Luna and cat Missy. Her boyfriend often complains that she spends too much time giving attention to their animals. Kyoko has written dozens of articles concerning pets and is aiming at owning a pet shop one day!
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