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How to keep my dog safe and happy on their first beach adventure?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | unspayed | 5 months and 9 days old | 2.4 lbs

Tips for taking Lola to the beach for the first time?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 22nd, 2018

Lola will have such a fun time at the beach! Dogs just love it! First off, make sure she is fully vaccinated before taking her. Other people will bring their dogs to the beach, and you don't know if they have had their vaccines or not. Her health is very important, so if she isn't fully vaccinated, do not take her. Make sure you take along plenty of fresh water for her to drink, and take a bowl from which she can drink. You probably should take extra water to rinse her off before putting her back in the car so the salt water gets out of her fur and she doesn't get sand in your car. Do not allow her to drink a lot of the ocean water. Too much will make her vomit, trust me that happened to my dog once! Cleaning vomit out of the backseat of a car is not fun. Bring a beach umbrella or something that will give her shade so that she can cool down. Dogs can easily overheat, so make sure she doesn't run around too much, and has plenty of breaks to cool down. The extra water you bring can help with that. You do not want her to get heatstroke, which is too often fatal and is a medical emergency. If she appears to be getting too hot, get her into the car right away and turn on the a/c. Offer her water, and take her into a vet right away if she doesn't appear to cool down. Signs of heat stroke include rapid panting, a bright red tongue, weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea. If you see any of those signs, do NOT delay in getting her to a vet. Do not let her eat anything on the beach such as shells or washed up dead fish because those could make her sick. Bring a leash for her. When she's done at the beach, wait at least an hour before feeding her to avoid her developing bloat. Hopefully these tips help you, enjoy your trip!

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