For some dogs, there’s simply nothing better than playing a good game of fetch in the water. Tragically, an afternoon of repeated playtime in the water ended the life of a California family’s beloved dog.
According to Inside Edition, Jen Walsh’s two-year-old Schnauzer, “Hanz,” was enjoying a day of fun at the lake. His owners kept throwing sticks into the water, and Hanz eagerly bounded after them.
But after awhile it became apparent that something was wrong. Hanz began to stagger and seemed lethargic – his family described him as “acting drunk.” They even noted that despite being soaking wet from the lake water, he didn’t shake to get the water off of his fur.
The family knew that Hanz needed veterinary attention, especially when he lost the ability to walk – but the damage was done. The young dog had swallowed so much water that he suffered hyponatremia (low blood sodium). By the time the family arrived at the veterinarian, Hanz was gone.
Now the family wants others to know about the danger of water intoxication – and note the early signs which may indicate that a dog is in danger. Symptoms to watch for:
- lethargy
- weakness
- confusion
- seizures
- dullness
- nausea
Read more about Hyponatremia here.
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RIP Hanz. Your family meant you no harm. I never heard of this.
How awful! I took care of an elderly woman who had an obsession with drinking water and she drank so much water that it knocked her electrolytes out of balance and she almost died. After that she wasn’t allowed to be left alone and to have home health care so someone was always with her because left to her own devices she would do the same thing again,very odd! My heart breaks for this family and this poor dog,devastating! Very,very sad!
Cynthia sounds to me that she perhaps showed signs of being a diabetic.
Linda,she did end up being diagnosed with diabetes,also was diagnosed with a mental disorder where a person has an obsession with drinking water and the irrational,uncontrollable urge to drink it by the gallons! It was something I had never heard of,there is a medical term for it but I just can’t remember what it is! All that water screwed up her electrolytes and she almost died of heart failure as a result. I’ve always remembered it because of the fact that I had never heard of anything like it. I’m sure Hanz’s electrolyte were knocked out of whack resulting in his heart stopping. It truly is so sad! I feel for this family and my heart is broken that Hanz lost his life doing something most dogs love to do.
Please god Rest In Peace for doggie why did he do this the owner shoul know better wrong what he did poor doggie Rest In Peace bg
Barbara the owners did nothing wrong. They were playing fetch with the dog. Many of us never heard of this happening. The owners meant no harm.
Linda,you are spot on! This owner hadn’t a clue that anything like this could happen. My heart breaks for this family and the guilt they are feeling will be there for a very long time! The more dog owners that are made aware that this can happen the better! So sad! RIP HANZ
My condolences to this family for their loss of Hanz. What a tragic accident.
As I was reading the first sentence, I just had a feeling that the dog ingested too much water but was so energetic and having fun that the water was becoming a problem until it was too late. Just a freak incident but something to keep in the back of your mind when you are playing with your canine friend.
Devastating. At least his last day was with his family and they were playing and playing.
Sad so Sad!!! this was a case of loving their little companion and friend to death… not knowing that they were putting his little life in danger… This is a wake up call to Many of Us!!
I HOPE THIS IS SHARED EXTENSIVELY ON THE NET!!!