Backpacking with dogs

[TheMightyMitch]

hey all

We are going on a 5-6 day hiking trip in october with our dog (1 1/2 years old) .

I wanted to know, if I should be worried about her drinking from streams and lakes? we'll put filtered/boiled water in her bowl, but it's likely that while hiking she'll take a drink from a stream.

Also, she doesn't seem to like her dog backpack very much, but we just bought it, so I think she'll get used to it

 

[harrisp]

Between me and my parents we have had dogs for about 40 years (mainly my parents) and they have always drank from streams, lakes, resevoirs, muddy puddles etc and we have never once had a problem.

 

[Welshwizard]

We in Uk have had a problem with some parts of fresh water mainly lakes ,ponds ,still water where dogs have died from drinking water
contaminated with blue/green algae , link below not sure if you have this in USA ? .
I take my dogs everywhere with me and try to ensure they drink from drinking water where possible by taking a cheap dog drinking bottle filled with fresh water , this particular blue/green algae threat has occured several times now but only in recent few years all you can do is try to be vigilant .
Just found another link which shows you do have same problem in USA , see below .
http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2007/06/29/blue-green-algae-toxic-bloom-can-kill-your-dog/

 

[TheMightyMitch]

Hey thanks guys!
I think she will be fine, so long as we don't let her drink too much of it.

 

[treadlightly]

My dog prefers water from puddles, streams etc to tap water and he has never come to harm. In fact i let him be the judge of what is drinkable or not. But,as has been pointed out, if you have blue or green algae over there you should not let your dog near it. It is like a greenish scum on the surface of the lake or pond, so quite easy to spot.

 

[santaman2000]

She should be fine drinking from steams and lakes/ponds. My dogs have never had any problems. You do want to be careful not to let her drink from any puddles in ot near town though; they might easily contain antifreeze (either leaked from radiators or sometimes deliberately put out to poison strays) Trusting your dogs judgement isn't a good idea because the antifreeze smaells and tastes sweet to them.

You didn't say exactly where you are. Are you anywhere in the Southeast? If so, be careful about letting her near the water's edge at all; dogs are a gator's favorite snack.

 

[santaman2000]

My dog prefers water from puddles, streams etc to tap water and he has never come to harm. In fact i let him be the judge of what is drinkable or not. But,as has been pointed out, if you have blue or green algae over there you should not let your dog near it. It is like a greenish scum on the surface of the lake or pond, so quite easy to spot.

Green algae is common on farm ponds over here. It's caused by the fertilizer run-off when farmers fertilize their pastures. The run-off into the ponds fertilizes the algae (which has little or no effect on the cattle watering from said ponds) The upside is that said algae is the base of the ponds' food chains and thus sometimes the ponds are deliberately fertilized to increase the size (weight) of the fish harvest.

 

[Welshwizard]

dogs will drink from most water sources and in most cases they can judge but poison sources of any kind cannot be sensed even by animals thats how they end up dead !
Blue green algae depletes the water of light and causes bactera growth this also depletes the water of oxygen causing fish deaths in severe cases and also prevents growth of benefical plants .
Most dogs that have taken water in any quantity have died within an hour of so ,one whilst at the vet after collapsing after being in Windemere
water last year .

 

[santaman2000]

...Blue green algae depletes the water of light and causes bactera growth this also depletes the water of oxygen causing fish deaths in severe cases and also prevents growth of benefical plants...

Must be a different algae from the green algae on farm ponds here. There are also wild algaes here that kill dogs but they're rare.

 

[Welshwizard]

Here it is in USA Florida poison control centre - http://miamipoisoncenter.org/x63.xml

 

[santaman2000]

No. That's not it. The green algae I'm talking about is a much finer (smaller algae than that pictured) and a brighter green. It's also sometimes deliberately used to increase fish harvests. It's all over one of my two farm ponds in Mississippi (although the renter is not deliberately farming fish) He fertilizes the pasture twice a year and the run-off causes the algae. No ill effects on his cattle to date (decades now) Or my horse that finally succumbed to old age while I was in Desert Storm.

 

[ged]

... You do want to be careful not to let her drink from any puddles in ot near town though; they might easily contain antifreeze (either leaked from radiators or sometimes deliberately put out to poison strays) Trusting your dogs judgement isn't a good idea because the antifreeze smaells and tastes sweet to them.

I thought that in the USA the law requires a bitter additive in anti-freeze so that it isn't attractive (to children as well as animals)?

There's a campaign of sorts here in the UK to get the law changed to require the additive too.

 

[santaman2000]

I thought that in the USA the law requires a bitter additive in anti-freeze so that it isn't attractive (to children as well as animals)?

There's a campaign of sorts here in the UK to get the law changed to require the additive too.

Antifreeze with that formulation has been showing up more and more for sure; but to my knowledge it's not law yet. Nor is it universal. At least not at the federal level, although I suppose it may possibly be so in some states. I could be wrong though.

 

[maddave]

pooches are fine drinking from puddles and running water. watch for ponds and lakes with a scum on and deter them from that and all will be peachy

 

[Hoodoo]

My guess is that the algae you are talking about is probably larger. The algae in the link is a prokaryotic bacterium (= cyanobacteria). It looks "large" because it is growing in a dense matt.

The algae you are referring to is probably eukaryotic and although there are some pretty small eukaryotic algae, prokaryotic cells tend to be much much smaller.

Blooms of cyanobacteria are almost always bad news.

No. That's not it. The green algae I'm talking about is a much finer (smaller algae than that pictured) and a brighter green. It's also sometimes deliberately used to increase fish harvests. It's all over one of my two farm ponds in Mississippi (although the renter is not deliberately farming fish) He fertilizes the pasture twice a year and the run-off causes the algae. No ill effects on his cattle to date (decades now) Or my horse that finally succumbed to old age while I was in Desert Storm.