April 12, 2019 – While I’m known to be a cat lover, and have my lovely long-time kitty Scraps at home, I am keenly aware of all the dog owners and dog lovers out there. So much so that, over the years, I’ve heard more than one of our customers mention that they always struggle with whether they should allow their pup into the hot tub with them.

Well, while your dog may be longing to join you in the hot tub, there are quite a few reasons why that’s not the best idea. Consider the following, then make sure your dog stays out of hot water with you!

• Unlike adults, dogs do not sweat. This is why you see them panting away during a run or playtime. With no way to actively sweat when exposed to excess heat, your dog should definitely not be hopping into a tub that’s 100+ degrees. They will easily overheat, and that could lead to suffering from heat stroke.
• A dog in the hot tub will expose them to the various water care products needed to balance and sanitize it. While hot tubs today are evolving—a prime example is our terrific FreshWater Salt System available on Hot Spring Spas—they do still have products in the water that may not be good for your dog’s skin or eyes.
• Dogs tend to love lapping up water when it’s available. Those aforementioned water care products are also not wise for your dog to ingest.
• If you use any pet care products to keep your pup pest free (fleas, ticks), allowing them into the tub also allow those products to end up in your hot tub water. This could not only cause water care issues, it could also neutralize the sanitizer in the tub, allowing bacteria to grow at a more rapid pace than normal. You might end up needing to drain your tub sooner or use extra water care products to get the sanitization and water clarity back to good soaking shape.
• If you have a dog that sheds, yikes! The hair that would end up in the water will also undoubtedly end up in the filters as well and make quite a mess. Worse—if your tub has any intakes to bypass the filters, hair could get pulled into those and some of that hair could end up inside a jet pump or heater! You’ll end up with some very expensive repair costs that could otherwise have been avoided altogether. “The dog broke my hot tub” will supersede the old “The dog at my homework” in no time at all!

Now, I’m certainly aware that a pet could HATE to see you in the hot tub having a good time and not get a chance to splash and play on their own. As a solution, you might want to get a small kiddie pool to fill with water and sit next to your hot tub. Giving them a place to “soak” on their own in water that’s safe and the right temperature will certainly make them happy. It could afford some fun pet selfie opportunities too!