My dog and I went to the dog park and last time he was there we were trying to get him to swim in a pond they have there with a brittany spaniel -but he was too afraid. This time he went in all by himself- stuck fairly close to shore but I was proud of him...
Only problem is, toward the end of our swim I noticed some dead fish floating. There's nothing wrong with the pond- it's a man-made pond and people have brought fish from local lakes and put them in there so they could go fishing at the pond, Well it was either too hot this week and they died or they died because they have little food source in the pond.
But still now my dog smells 'fishy'- I tried baby powder- but he still stank so I gave him a bath- he's still a little smellly. Any suggestions to get rid of it?
He won't get sick from being near the dead fish or anything will he? He didn't eat any of it (I watched him like a hawk and shouted 'no!' whenever he got close).
Answers:
I would try a rinse of 50/50 vinegar and water. Vinegar is known as acetic acid, while it is a weak acid, it's strong enough to "kill" a lot of organic organisms/ destroy organic molecules. The fishy smell is due to the presence of amines and I bet vinegar would be able to knock those amines out. When diluted, it is not dangerous to leave on your dog. I would go to the store, buy the big liter size (or larger) bring it home, wash him, then as a final rinse, dump the 50/50 mixture all over him (careful with his face and eyes - you don't want to get it in there just like you don't want soap in there). Let him shake, rinse again, let him shake and dry. While I have not personally tried this, vinegar is a natural cleaner for a lot of stuff. Amines tend to react with acids and acetic acid (vinegar) is an acid. Let me know if you try it and if it works!
And yes - watch out for that algae!
When a lot of fish die suddenly in very warm weather, it is often due to very low oxygen levels in the water. However, dead fish decompose and smell fishy - and this is from bacteria.
I'd bathe him again with a detergent-based soap (a doggie shampoo should be fine and will kill the bacteria). The bigger risk is if he drank the water or if he has any open wounds or cuts. If he gets sick, take him to a vet right away and explain what happened. If he has any cuts, abrasions or breaks in his skin, treat him with a triple antibiotic ointment or neosporine (just like you use) to prevent an infection.
Chances are he will be fine.
I got an article to watch for blue algae, it blooms at different times of the year in different areas but it is toxic to dogs when its blooming. I would be worried if I didnt know the reason for the dead fish but if your confident the water is safe why shouldnt your dog have a swim? Since fish tend to be oily ,I would get a doggie degreaser, that might help. Skunk spray is oil based as well so maybe some of those remedies would help.
Hi,
Before you let your dog swim in any body of water, be on the lookout for blue-green algae which can kill dogs in a short period of time. I don't mean to alarm you, but it is the season for blue-green algae blooms and dead fish can be a sign. Check out this page on my website about it.
http://www.standardpoodlesusa.com/blue-g...
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