Simple Tips for Keeping Your Dog Safe on a Boat

With summer at its peak, boating season is in full swing. If you plan on bringing your pup out on your boat, it's important to take certain safety measures. Before putting your dog in potentially stressful situations, such as going out for long days on the water, it's a good idea to be sure they're up-to-date with routine check-ups. At Animal General Hospital, our staff can conduct annual check-ups to ensure that your pup is ready for the rigors of summertime adventures.

Ways to Keep Your Dog Safe on the Water

Just like everyone else on the boat, your dog should have a life jacket. Even if your pooch is an excellent swimmer, it's hard to predict currents and other conditions that might make it more challenging for them to swim. When picking out a life jacket for your pup, you'll want to choose one that is a bright color and has handles that you can easily grab to pull them up onto the boat.

You should also have a concrete plan in place that you can quickly enact if your dog accidentally goes overboard. There should be a spotter who is solely tasked with keeping their eyes on your dog. Then there should be a skilled boater at the helm who can follow the spotter's directions to maneuver toward your pup. As part of any emergency plan, you should also have an emergency kit on board that has supplies that you can use for your dog, such as ointments and bandages.

If you're letting your dog swim, you'll want to make sure there is someone available who has sufficient strength to aid the pup with getting back up the ladder. Some dogs may struggle with this and you don't want this to become a safety risk.

And if you're taking a boating trip to a cool-water area, you'll want to be mindful of hypothermia risks. If you have a dog that loves to swim, it can be easy to forget that extended exposure in cool water could cause hypothermia, especially because your dog might not show symptoms until it reaches a serious level. In colder bodies of water, you can mitigate this risk by periodically bringing your dog out of the water, warming them back up, and then letting them back in the water after they've dried off.

Veterinarian in Miami Springs

If you have a dog who lives an active lifestyle, you'll want to be sure you have an excellent veterinarian for when mishaps occur. For a veterinarian in Miami Springs, contact Animal General Hospital at (786) 288-5736. At our local vet clinic, we're happy to offer advice for how to keep your dog safe during summertime adventures!

Posted: July 8, 2021