This is what can happen when a Labrador Retriever spends too much time in the water!
His family writes, “This is the hilarious video of our dog once we discovered he had swallowed a bit too much sea water at the beach.”
Yes, the dog is squirting the water from his bottom. It’s either because he drank some salt water (like they say), or because the water went up his bottom (like a “salt water enema”) when he was playing in the water.
When the 2008 video was recently reposted on Reddit, viewers were confused, with one redditor calling the dog the “perfect blend of cute, gross and hilarious.” Another person asked the question that was on everyone’s mind: “Why does the dog shoot water out of his butt when he barks?”
One person indicated it might be because of his anal glands (sacs). Salt water can cause a dog’s anal glands to express themselves. However, since the anal glands are pretty small, and the black lab is squirting out a lot of fluid, it’s possible he might be squirting more than his natural poop lubricant. The poor pup might have “beach diarrhea,” which is caused by drinking too much salt water. But from what we see, this looks like water not poop.
According to petMD, when dogs drink too much salt water “the [salt-filled] intestines draws water from the blood into the intestines, causing diarrhea.” If the dehydration gets any worse, dogs can have serious side effects and can even have a seizure. You can read more about it in our article How to Protect Your Dog From Salt Water Poisoning.
Fortunately, it seems unlikely that this adorable lab is sick, since he happily runs and plays fetch for most of the video. And the dog’s family wants to reassure everyone he is all right and healthy. “So no need to be concerned for his well-being.” Upon learning about the possible dangers of drinking too much salt water, the family added, “For everyone wondering – he is happy and healthy and we now monitor his time in the water.”
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