Swimming in a swim spa with loved ones is exciting, especially when it’s shared with our furry friends. Many dogs enjoy the leisure of being in a pool of water, and yours may even be one of them.
However, is allowing your dogs to swim actually, okay? This question has raised the discussion of pet and spa safety, which is important for you to understand if you’re a pet parent and swim spa owner, so there can be no harm to yourself, your dogs, and the swim spa.
Can Dogs Get in Swim Spas?
Let’s cut right to the chase. Yes, your dogs may dip themselves in water. Not simply for refreshment, water activities for dogs may bring the same health benefits to humans such as helping to improve cardiovascular conditions, manage weight, and even reduce stress.
However, it’s important to note that each breed has different levels of swimming, and some of them aren’t even swimmers at all. Typically, big types of dogs are great swimmers by nature, while the smaller types such as Bulldogs or Maltese whose legs are short have difficulties just staying floating.
But despite the breed, every single dog has a different preference and bravery when it comes to soaking and getting wet. Some dogs love to jump into the water on their own, but others may feel scared and stressed out by just getting sprayed.
Therefore, as a pet parent, ensuring your own dog’s ability and preference to be in the water is a big must! If you want to take the pooches to swim for the first time, it would be wise to purchase life vests and slowly but gradually introduce them to the water, so your furry friends can adapt to the aquatic environment safely.
What to Prepare When Dogs Get in a Swim Spa?
Just because it’s generally okay to take your furry friends into the swim spa with you, that doesn’t mean you can be carefree in maintaining pet and spa safety. There are significant harmful health and economic effects for yourself if you don’t consider these factors:
Extra Bather Load
Bather load is the term describing the maximum number of swimmers in the water at the same time. By inviting your dogs, there’s an addition to the bather load. A higher bather load means a longer filtration process, which means more expensive operational costs.
Dogs’ Hygiene
The cleanliness of the pet is crucial for pet and spa safety. Dogs usually roam around and have debris or dirt in their body. Not to mention their unintentional saliva or urine. Bathing them regularly and ensuring they are clean will help you maintain the hygiene of the water you’re in.
Shedded Fur
Another thing to consider is the fur that comes off from their body. A pile of fur has a chance to clog the filtration system. Ultimately, the water quality will not be ideal or the internal components of the swim spa may require a service.
Sharp Nails
Dog grooming is really that important to ensure the pet and spa safety. Related to the previous factors, don’t forget to trim the nails of your dogs so their scratches won’t damage the body of the swim spa.
What to Consider About Dogs’ Safety in Swim Spas?
Aside from the human perspective, it’s also important to see the pet and spa safety concerns from our furry friend’s perspective. There are possible conditions that may harm your dogs’ well-being and health by not swimming ideally, such as:
Drowning
Always pay attention to dogs who enter the water. Dogs’ bodies are shorter and smaller than humans, so low water volume can already be dangerous, especially if they can’t touch the ground of the swim spa and paddle their legs to float. You may adjust the water volume to the level where your dogs can still breathe freely while standing perfectly.
Cold & Heatstroke
If you place your swim spa outdoors, don’t let your dogs stay in there for too long. If you let them at night, there’s a chance they catch a cold. Meanwhile, they may get heatstroke if they stay for too long at noon.
Water Ingestion
Unlike humans who understand the negative effects of drinking non-potable water, dogs tend to just enjoy the water that goes through their throats. If it happens excessively, your dogs may get intoxicated and sick afterward.
Chemical Reactions
Dogs feel the same reactions as humans like eye irritation and dry skin when making contact with sanitisation chemicals in the water. That’s why it’s necessary to always clean their bodies every time finishing the session.
Luckily, most swim spas, especially ones produced by Just Spas, use an UV filtration system. Requiring only a small amount of chemicals, you and your dogs won’t have to deal with unpleasant irritations.
If you want to purchase a spacious swim spa with advanced features like the UV filtration system and adjustable jet streams to keep your lovely dogs safe and happy, don’t hesitate to check out our wide range of products. All are designed to guarantee the satisfaction of every Australian and the safety of their furry friends.
Visit your nearest Just Spas dealer and find the perfect swim spa for your furry friend.