Vets advise against dogs swimming in reservoirs

Dog swimming in reservoir

A local veterinary practice has issued a warning to keep dogs from swimming in reservoirs after one required life-saving surgery.

Whitworth Road’s Valley Vet Care conducted an extensive three-hour operation on six-year-old otterhound, Trevor, after he was injured when paddling in water at Cowm Reservoir in Whitworth.

It is unknown how Trevor suffered the severe cuts to his legs, but lost a lot of blood due to severing a tendon. Under these circumstances, he was extremely lucky as a smaller dog would not have survived the unfortunate incident, Valley Vet Care informed us.

Vet Vincent Wager said: “We don’t know what exactly caused the damage to Trevor’s foot and leg, but it did cause a lot of damage to the blood vessels.

“We would always advise under most circumstances to keep pets out of reservoirs. Especially during the summer time when people are more likely to disregard glass and other harmful objects.

“Algae is another serious issue in summer that forms within reservoirs and is particularly harmful to dogs if they digest it.

“Water can also generally seem shallow when in fact it is really deep, and nobody knows what dangers are hiding beneath.”

United Utilities, which own the reservoir, has been contacted for comment.