Near-Drowning in Dogs: Why the Vet Visit Is Not Optional

A dog can walk away from the water and drown hours later in the living room. That is the reason this one always needs a vet.

A dog goes into the water, gets into trouble, comes out coughing, shakes itself off and seems fine within ten minutes. Everyone's heart rate comes down. Nobody rings anybody.

That is the scenario this page exists for, because water in the lungs can trigger fluid to build up over the following hours, and the dog can deteriorate badly long after the drama appeared to be over. It is sometimes called secondary drowning, and it can be fatal.

Every submersion needs a vet, including the ones the dog appears to shrug off.

Getting the dog out without becoming the second casualty

The most common way a dog drowning becomes a human one is an owner going in after it.

Throw a rope. Use a long branch. Grab the collar from the bank. Do not get into deep or moving water unless you can genuinely swim with a panicking dog, which is harder than it sounds even for strong swimmers.

What to do

1. Lay the dog on its side, head and neck stretched out, and gently pull the tongue forward.
2. Tilt the body so the head is slightly lower than the chest, and let gravity drain the airway.
3. **If it is not breathing or has no heartbeat, start CPR.** With drowning, begin with rescue breaths, because the problem is water in the lungs rather than a heart that stopped first.
4. Dry it and wrap it in a blanket. Cold compounds the lung injury, particularly after cold water.
5. Ring the vet and go, whatever the dog looks like.
6. Watch the breathing on the way. A wet, crackling sound, a wheeze, laboured effort or gums turning blue means tell them you are coming in now.

What to watch for over the next 24 hours

This is the part to take seriously. In the one to twenty-four hours afterwards, look for:

• A cough returning, especially a wet, productive one, or crackling breath sounds
• Laboured breathing, or visible sucking in at the chest with each breath
• Pink or red frothy saliva or nasal discharge
• Unusual lethargy, or sleeping far more than normal
• Gums going blue or grey again

Any of these, even after a vet has already seen and cleared your dog, means going straight back. Do not sit on it overnight.

What not to do

Do not swing the dog upside down by its back legs to drain the water. It is a folk remedy that does not clear the lungs and can dislocate hips.

Do not squeeze or press the chest to force water out. Chest compressions belong to CPR, after breathing has stopped. On a breathing dog they can break ribs and worsen the fluid problem.

Do not put your fingers into the mouth to scoop water out. Pull the tongue forward from outside and let gravity do it.

Do not warm a cold dog with a hot bath, hairdryer or heat pad. A dry blanket and a warm car is the right intermediate step.

Do not leave the dog unattended in the hours afterwards, and do not let it swim or bathe again for at least 48 hours after the vet has cleared it.

Do not give food or water afterwards, even to a thirsty-looking dog.

One useful piece of context: cold-water incidents have a longer window for successful CPR than warm-water ones, sometimes up to half an hour. If your dog has come out of cold water and is not breathing, it is worth starting and continuing on the way in.

Where it happens

Not usually rivers and lakes. The commonest cases are swimming pools with steep or slippery sides that a tired dog cannot climb out of, garden ponds, and boats.

A canine life jacket is genuinely worthwhile for boating, open water and dogs that swim beyond their ability, which includes most retrievers and a surprising number of dogs that cannot swim well at all. Check that any pool your dog has access to has a route out that a dog could actually use, and never leave a dog unsupervised around water it could fall into.

Sources

This article was written using guidance from Veterinary Partner (VIN), the pet-owner library of the Veterinary Information Network; FirstVet, an online veterinary advice service; VCA Animal Hospitals, a North American hospital network with an extensive, vet-written pet health library; and RSPCA, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the UK's oldest animal welfare charity. This guidance is for general information and does not replace a consultation with your own veterinarian. In an emergency, always contact a vet. Read [how we write our health guidance](https://rochsociety.com/how-we-write-our-health-guidance/). Last reviewed July 2026.