Summer means swimming!
Swimming in the lake, swimming in the river, swimming in the pool, even swimming in the sprinkler!
With all this water, the moisture and the fun come skin and ear issues. It's very common in our swimming dogs like Labradors, Retrievers or even your happy go lucky rescue dog who just can’t seem to leave the river, to get skin issues. Most of the time these skin issues result in hot spots. They are common under the collar, around the base of the neck, by the ears and even under the tail.
Wherever the moisture is settling and the dog can’t fully dry itself, it is likely that this will be a spot for this issue to appear. The dog will get itchy and by scratching the area it breaks the skin and common bacteria enters. Once the bacteria gets into the skin layers, the hot spot appears red, wet looking, even sometimes swollen/ irritated and the dog needs medications.
Swimming in all the fun spots like rivers can cause more of an issue because naturally there are fish, bacteria, algae etc living there which can get into the skin. If your dog is a river lover or even a lake lover its best at the end of the day to rinse them off or bath them to get all the dirt and grime off them. Then ensure they are dry, and collar is off before going to bed that night. This can help eliminate the water and dirt sitting on the dog over night and thus preventing any bacteria getting into the skin.
Another issue dogs face in the summer is ear infections. Again, if they are swimming lots, water and bacteria can get into the ear and cause an infection. If your dog regularly swims in the summer and fall its best to clean their ears out after every time or even twice a week as maintenance. By cleaning them twice a week or after every swim you ensure all that bad stuff gets flushed out before it can settle and cause bigger issues. Getting a bottle of ear cleaner from your veterinarian and just having it for the summer in your beach bag is perfect! Then it's handy and your dog can get a quick clean before heading home.
Summer can still be fun and everyone can have the best time swimming, if you can just do a few quick and easy things to help prevent your dog from getting these potential aliments!