Re: Chlorine

In Reply to: Chlorine
Category:   Other
Posted by:  Joe Kita
Posted on:  August 29, 2002 at 08:14:35

: Our 3-year-old Jack Russell died recently after swimming in a chlorinated pool. It was a very hot day, and there were lots of kids in the water so she was very excited and kept jumping in and out. She seemed to be having a great time. But then, she got out, threw up and just laid in the grass. Over the course of the next hour, we watched her breathing get increasingly shallower. Unfortunately, by the time we got her to the vet, she died. It was a pretty traumatic experience for all involved. The vet said there was no water in her lungs, so she didn't drown, and since she was swimming, she couldn't have had heat exhaustion. He suspected some type of genetic heart defect that came out under stress. When I asked him about chlorine poisoning, he said that shouldn't have affected her. However, I suspect that's the cause. And now, since we just got a new Jack who also enjoys the water, I don't want to put her in similar peril. Any theories on what might have happened?

Response:

Hi Joe,
I would have to aggree with your Vet and if your chlorine is high enough to harm your pets then it would also be high enough to harm your kids and affect all that were swimming and ingesting the water.
I am so sorry that this has happened and please accept our deepest sympathies but I think you are grasping from straws on the chlorine water. Clorine is in most drinking water unless you are on a well and adding clorine to a pool to make it acceptable to swim in, shouldn't harn either people or pets.

Sorry I can't be of more help but if it had been me, I may have requested a necropsy on the dog to find out the exact cause but in this case I would suspect a undetected heart problems more so the the chlorinated water. I also have many friends whos dogs act like yours while smimming and swim daily and they haven't had a problems.

Again I am so sorry for the loss of your pet.
Regards
Linda