Chris Taylor, a 29-year-old man living in Florida, is left grieving the loss of his dog to saltwater poisoning earlier this month.
The two were out for what promised to be an exhilarating day at the beach for the Lab-Retriever mix.
The thought never occurred to Taylor that this might be the last fun trip the two took together.
Taylor was studying at the University of South Florida to get his teaching degree when he first met his adorable best friend. He was just a pup then.
Unable to resist his playful and loving nature, the young student took him in and named him O.G.
Chris recalls how immediately O.G. became attached to him, taking on his personality in stride. He tells WFLA,
“He always wanted to be doing what I was doing. He’s my family. he’s just so goofy and just always excited to see me when I came through the door.”
Of all the things O.G. loved to do in life, his owner explains that one thing outweighed them all, and that was water.
Chris remembers O.G. as a puppy waiting for him to get home from school, always at the ready whenever Dad was done with his day so they could hit the beach.
Seven years later the sweet lab mix hadn’t changed a bit and was just as excited to get down to the water.
On Monday, July 9th, Chris decided to take his dedicated pooch to a south Florida dog beach called Honeymoon Island.
The two had a full day of playing around on the sandy beach and frolicking in the ocean.
What seemed like a routine playdate with his canine pal though, quickly turned into an evening of anxious worry.
Later Monday night, O.G. started showing signs that he wasn’t feeling himself.
It started with an upset stomach that turned into diarrhea, and then O.G. began to vomit.
Although Chris was nurturing his poor pup with wholesome meals of chicken and rice the next day, his dog was still sluggish.
By Wednesday, O.G.’s health took a turn for the worst. O.G. had become listless, staring off in a daze and rejecting food and water.
More worryingly, O.G. had become completely unresponsive to Chris.
The panicked dog owner raced to the vet with his dying dog, but the saltwater poisoning had already set in.
Chris told WFLA reporters what it was like for OG in his last moments:
“I saw him last night, and he was convulsing, and I asked if he was in pain, she said I don’t even think he knows where he is.”
When dogs drink too much saltwater it causes severe dehydration, ending in irreparable brain damage that results in seizures and, tragically, death.
He told Fox13 reporters that he’s having trouble accepting it, saying,
“It still feels surreal. It doesn’t feel like reality. I [have] to get a grip on that and realize that it is real and he’s gone.”
Now Chris wants to warn other dog-lovers of the dangers lurking in the ocean water, so they never have to experience something as painful as he is right now.
He urges pet owners to pay close attention to their dogs when they are around saltwater.
Tampa Bay Emergency vet, Dr. Kelly Meyer, suggests that when you take your dog to the beach to only stay for two hours, and to make sure your pup drinks healthy amounts of fresh-water every 30 minutes.
Flushing out some of the sodium from the saltwater could just be what saves your best friend’s life.
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