Snout Girl Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Being such a hot day yesterday, we decided to take our 3 dogs to a popular freshwater lake for a swim. Ball obsessed Sally spent most of the 2 and a bit hours in the water, either chasing the ball or swimming with us as she loves the water. The pugs had a dip then spent the rest of the time sniffing on the banks of the lake. It was such a lovely day, and everyone had a lovely time. We got in the car, and then began the 1 hour journey home. That's when our nightmare began. I noticed Sally was panting a bit in the back of the station wagon, but figured she may of been a bit hot so we cranked the air conditioning. We were around 15 mins from home when she started to look distressed. my oh thought she might need the toilet so we pulled over and took her out of the wagon. she was literally dripping with saliva, it was gushing from her mouth. she was still panting heavily. we thought, maybe she is car sick? we thought the best thing to do is to get her home as soon as we could. getting home, we got her out of the car and she was wonky on her feet. I said to my oh, something is not right here. she then collapsed on the ground. we rushed her straight away to our emergency vet, who took one look at her and rushed her out the back. they intially were certain is was a snake bite, as she was exhibiting all the symptoms. we were scratching our heads at this as she never left our side the entire time, she was always in the water with us. meanwhile her bloods came back that showed her electrolyte count was basically zero and her sodium levels were also non existant. they were now extremely concerned about brain damage. we waited an agonising 30 mins for the snake venom test, which was negative. now the vet was scracthing her head. it turns out she was suffering from water intoxication, from ingesting too much water during her swim when she was diving for the ball with her mouth open. the symptoms of water intoxication are almost identical to snake bite. please, if you have a water loving dog, particulary one who likes to fetch the ball, please be aware of the possible dangers if they ingest too much water as if not acted upon quickly, the condition can be fateful.symptoms include: lethargy, unsteadiness on the feet, excessive salivation, heavy panting, diluted pupils, bloated stomach, seizures and even coma. thankfully we got sally to the vet in time, it was touch and go last night but she has pulled through and hopefully will be home soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Oh my god, how scary! Thank goodness you got her there and they figured it out. Thank you for the warning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 gosh how scary for you! I'm really glad to read that she will be o.k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Oh my gosh , so glad she is ok. So it basically dilutes all the sodium/electrolytes they have? Thanks for the warning, although mine aren't into water, good to know. You must have been beside yourselves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snout Girl Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 thanks all, I wouldnt of wished last night on my worst enemy. it was agonising. she was so ill that the vet basically prepared us for the worst, her electrolyte and sodium counts were almost in brain damage territory. we took her there for a treat, as she loves the water so much, and it almost ended in tragedy. just wanted to get some awareness out there, as it is not uncommon but rarely discussed and sometimes even misdiagnosed. thanks for everyone's good wishes, I cant wait to kiss her on her long snout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 (edited) Whoops, read the OP wrong. I hope she comes home soon :) Edited February 25, 2013 by Aussie3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 So glad your dog is recovering - I believe this can happen with people too ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoofnHoof Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Oh wow you would never think of that unless you heard about it, thanks for the warning I'm glad your girl will be ok! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Hope your girl recovers soon. The other thing I have read previous to be mindful of is dogs that like to bite the high pressure sprinklers. I presume because of a similar scenario and can potentially lead to water intoxication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 (edited) Wow! What a torrid time you've been through!! Thank you for posting this thread and sharing your experience! Hope Sally continues to improve for you :) So glad your dog is recovering - I believe this can happen with people too ?? Apparently so. I have a friend who saw a marathon runner die in front of him from this.... over hydrating. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication Edited to add a link to Wiki Edited February 25, 2013 by Allerzeit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Wow! What a torrid time you've been through!! Thank you for posting this thread and sharing your experience! Hope Sally continues to improve for you :) So glad your dog is recovering - I believe this can happen with people too ?? Apparently so. I have a friend who saw a marathon runner die in front of him from this.... over hydrating. Yes, there was a woman who drank a heap of water without going to the toilet for a competition on the radio a few years ago, she died from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I had no idea such a condition existed. I would have thought the body would just expell too much water by weeing it out. How did they treat Sally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktig Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Scary stuff! Thanks for the heads up, we have a water lover here who delights in eating the water out of the hose, the pool, whatever. Glad to hear Sally is on the mend. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Going back to high school biology now - but I imagine that the excessive amount of water in the gut causes an osmotic effect which is why Sally had low electrolytes etc - could be completely wrong - high school was a long time ago :laugh: :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snout Girl Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 I had no idea such a condition existed. I would have thought the body would just expell too much water by weeing it out. How did they treat Sally? We will get more details when we head down there shortly, but i know she was being given diuretics, and is on an IV drip to slowly add sodium back into her system. she was having blood gasses every 3-4 hours to check her sodium and eletrolyte levels. once again, thanks for all the good wishes. it's certainly not something I ever anticipated happening, particularly in fresh water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 We've been worried about this with our young guy. They both love the water & swim at least twice a day. The young guy "eats" the water & before long, he has swallowed so much that he starts to rattle. I asked the vet if it was harmful & he said "no worries, he will just chuck it back up", but maybe he was only referring to the chlorine content as not being harmful...it's the amount he drinks that worries me. So now we have started only letting him into the water for 10 min. at a time. I must try putting a muzzle on him to try & stop him swallowing so much,as it is a worry, but the exercise & the fun they have is just too great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 An ex DOLer had this happen with her boy at the beach. He ended up very sick but is fine now. Hope Sally is better soon :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snout Girl Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 We've been worried about this with our young guy. They both love the water & swim at least twice a day. The young guy "eats" the water & before long, he has swallowed so much that he starts to rattle. I asked the vet if it was harmful & he said "no worries, he will just chuck it back up", but maybe he was only referring to the chlorine content as not being harmful...it's the amount he drinks that worries me. So now we have started only letting him into the water for 10 min. at a time. I must try putting a muzzle on him to try & stop him swallowing so much,as it is a worry, but the exercise & the fun they have is just too great I know what you mean sheena, sally adores chasing her ball thru the water, it is one of her favourite things to do. but it will be no more and we'll have to monitor her swim time too. we just cant risk her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teekay Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 My Mum suffered with hyponatremia a few years ago. Yes, it can be fatal and has to be monitored very very carefully. It was a scary time, it affected her mind and she would behave like she had severe dementia. It was horrible to see her like that but after restricting her fluid intake, her sodium level gradually increased and after week or two she was back to normal. It wasn't as a result of drinking lots of water though. The docs were not sure why she got it but she had been vomiting a lot just before it started so maybe that threw her sodium level out of wak. Good job they diagnosed it when they did though. I'd never heard of it before then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snout Girl Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 off to see sally!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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