Is it safe for Dogs to drink highly chlorinated wate (like when Shocking pool)?

[CountryBumkin]

I have a thread hear about getting rid of black Algae - which requires that I shock the pool. I'm concerned about the safety of my dogs if they go into pool while it's being shocked.

I thought a new/separate thread might be more appropriate for this question (in case anyone ever searches for this question) rather than combining it with my other thread.

QUESTIONS:

1) Is it safe to shock my pool to 25ppm (or more) chlorine level and still let my Dogs have access to the pool? One of my dogs like to jump in (several times a day) on the "shallow ledge" and walk around and drink the water to cool off.

2) Are Dogs smart enough to know not to drink the water is the chlorine level is too high (I assume they can smell the high levels)?

3) Is high chlorine levels unsafe for dogs - if yes, at what levels (I know from my Vet that "normal" pool chlorine levels are not an issue)?

If it is unsafe, I need to buy and place some plywood half-sheets or such, around the pool's shallow end to keep the dogs out - as there is no other practical way to keep them away from the pool.

[swimdaddy]

At 25 ppm, PEOPLE can still swim safely, but you might ruin your swimsuit if you are in it for a long time. It won't hurt your skin, unless you are sensitive to chlorine. I would think it would be the same for dogs. As far as drinking it, as far as people or children go, small amounts won't hurt you, but if a dog is drinking large quantities, I am not sure what that would do. It's a good question and I hope someone more knowledgeable chimes in.

[chem geek]

The EPA drinking water limit is 4 ppm FC assuming one drinks 2 liters (or quarts) per day every day for a lifetime. That's set so that the lifetime cancer risk doesn't increase by more than around 1 in a million. So while not something to do regularly, if the dog drinks pool water with the elevated chlorine level it probably won't have a negative effect unless the chlorine amount was enough to make it to the intestines where it would kill bacteria. That would be like taking antibiotics where you'd want to replenish by eating yoghurt or taking probiotics.

As shown in this PDF file, drinking bleach is in the top 10 toxicoses in dogs, but bleach is at around 86,000 ppm FC so clearly much higher than the shock level in a pool.

[mshumack]

Thanks for the info and link (pdf file).

You would think a dog would smell chlorine at a high concentrations and not "want" to drink it. Especially when there is a clean drinking bowl 20 feet away. Then again, my dogs do a lot of things I wouldn't think a normal dog would want to do.