Ask the APCC: Is it Safe for My Dogs to Swim in Our Pool?

A neighbor told me that my dogs should not go in my swimming pool because the chlorine could be harmful to their lungs. Is there any truth to this?
—Joe W.

While concentrated forms of chlorine can be very irritating to skin, eyes and the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, exposure to appropriately treated pool water should typically not pose much of a problem for healthy dogs. (If small amounts of water were ingested, however, mild stomach upset could occur.)

However, if the pool water has been treated with larger concentrations of chemicals, or if your dog becomes exposed to an undiluted pool treatment product, more serious problems could result. In either of these cases, your local veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center should be consulted right away to assess the situation.

And please take note: It is generally a good idea to get in the habit of washing—or at least rinsing—your dogs after they’ve been in a chemically treated pool. This will help to avoid the potential for skin irritation resulting from chemical residue sitting on the animal’s skin for an extended period of time.

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