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Back in June I started taking Darwin to a dog training center that has a swimming pool. My goals were to get him some exercise(it had been too hot for the dog park or walks) and to see if he liked swimming. The first three sessions it was almost sad how much he was afraid to get into the water. I think he hated the feeling of not having his feet on a solid surface. We are far past the jitters now. The past several weeks he has been doing great and really enjoys being in the pool. So much so that it's difficult to get him out when out time is up. In early July I noticed he had been excessively licking a spot on his upper front leg. It got to the point where he'd lick it raw and a scab was forming. After a vet visit and costly meds, nothing has really changed. He still licks/nibbles parts of his legs and toes. Since we've ruled out fleas, mites, food allergies, boredom, etc, I'm thinking it's the swimming pool. I have talked to the staff and was told that the pool is mildly chlorinated because it needs to be safe in case of consumption. I'm not sure what percentage "mildly" is, but I know it's fairly low since you can't really smell it when walking into the pool room. We do rinse him off thoroughly after each swim and dry him out as best as we can afterward. I've done my googling and came up with a ton of different remedy suggestions. So far it seems like the most recommend is a leave-in spray conditioner such as The Stuff and Ruff to Smooth. Bathing weekly was mentioned often as well but I don't think that is really necessary since he generally has only three baths/grooming appointments in a year. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm new to the swimming thing. If anyone has dogs who love the pool and can offer up some suggestions I would really appreciate it. Since a post is nothing without pictures, here is my mutt again (lab X newf)  
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Aug 23, 2016 19:46
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 07:46 |
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Is he good at drunken convenience store fights?
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Aug 23, 2016 23:28
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He does like beer and pissing on everything.
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Aug 24, 2016 02:49
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drat that is one fine dog. A+ doggy right there. 10/10 would pet again. But yeah if swimming makes him chew off his paws then don't take him swimming I guess? I don't understand why taking your dog to a swimming pool is an absolutely necessary thing for you if it's harmful to him. Do you live near a beach? Because we take our dog to the beach occasionally and she goes crazy for it, plus the water doesn't make her want to eat herself.
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Aug 24, 2016 09:18
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KomodoWagon posted:drat that is one fine dog. A+ doggy right there. 10/10 would pet again. Swimming has been the best option for exercise since it's been far too hot for anything else lately. Even playing in the yard. Thanks to housing developments, most of the of the smaller lakes withing a reasonable drive are either privatized or do not allow dogs in/near them. I'm well aware that if A causes B, stop doing A. I just figured that plenty of people allow their dogs in the pool so I'd try asking a forum that offers better suggestions than an Amazon product comments section.
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Aug 24, 2016 13:31
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 07:46 |
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I really doubt it's the pool. Your dog probably just has environmental allergies. But either way, frequent bathing will help. I would just stop by your vet and get a bottle of whatever basic shampoo they recommend for itchy dogs. Sprays probably aren't going to work that well for a dog with that much dense coat.
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Aug 24, 2016 14:35
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