Thirsty Lab Becomes Waterlogged After Too Many Trips to the Sprinkler

Tobey is a 7 year-old Labrador retriever that doesn’t like water. He loves it. “I put the sprinkler out in the yard for him, and he goes nuts!” said owner Ellen Jones of Charlotte, N.C. Tobey especially enjoys stealing mouthfuls of water as the sprinkler swishes back and forth. “He chomps at the sprinkler head and the water just goes right down his throat,” Ellen said. “He puts on such a show that neighbors walking by the house stop and stare in amazement.”

Ellen recently set the sprinkler out for Tobey, and it wasn’t long before she noticed Tobey was in trouble. Within 30 minutes, Tobey went from running around and chomping at the streams of water to vomiting and not being able to sit or lie down comfortably. Ellen was especially alarmed at the size of Tobey’s stomach, which had become swollen from consuming so much water. Since Tobey has a history of bloat, a condition in which the stomach becomes stretched and even twisted from excessive gas or fluid, Ellen didn’t want to take any chances and took him to the veterinarian.

Tobey’s veterinarian took X-rays and performed an exam, gently pushing on the dog’s abdomen to determine the seriousness of his distended belly. Tobey was lucky: his over-indulgence had not resulted in water poisoning or bloat. The Lab was sent home a few hours later with a prescription for rest, and Ellen was advised to keep water out of Tobey’s reach for the rest of the day.

“It sounds silly, having a belly full of water,” Ellen said, “but it can be just as dangerous as over-eating.” Sadly for Tobey, his days of running around and drinking from the sprinkler are over. “I had to put the sprinkler away,” Ellen said. “We won’t be doing that exercise anymore.”