Dogs started itching with borates

[WindyT]

My experiences with borates. Stuff works. Sparklier, bluer water. Silky feel. The whole bit.

Problem: My dogs. I have three. Two that swim, one that won't.
The one that doesn't swim will drink from the pool.
One that swims drinks volumes from the pool.
One that swims that doesn't drink from the pool.

Two started itching only after the borate was added to the pool.
The ones that swam.
The one that drank but did not swim had no itching issues.
When we ruled out fleas, we realized it was the borates.
Then the labrador decided to take a swim this winter. It wasn't five hours later when the itching started up again. Confirmed.

I had to deal with plaster issues in the pool this winter, and emptied the entire pool to deal with the plaster.
(and the high CYA courtesy of the previous owner, along with the borates)
I'll miss the silky water.

 

[JayBauman]

Re: So you want to add borates to your pool--Why and How

My experiences with borates. Stuff works. Sparklier, bluer water. Silky feel. The whole bit.

Problem: My dogs. I have three. Two that swim, one that won't.
The one that doesn't swim will drink from the pool.
One that swims drinks volumes from the pool.
One that swims that doesn't drink from the pool.

Two started itching only after the borate was added to the pool.
The ones that swam.
The one that drank but did not swim had no itching issues.
When we ruled out fleas, we realized it was the borates.
Then the labrador decided to take a swim this winter. It wasn't five hours later when the itching started up again. Confirmed.

I had to deal with plaster issues in the pool this winter, and emptied the entire pool to deal with the plaster.
(and the high CYA courtesy of the previous owner, along with the borates)
I'll miss the silky water.

I would like to go with borates in my new pool, but I worry about how that chemistry might affect my canine family members. How did you diagnose that your dogs were reacting to the borates rather than to something else in the pool water?

 

[chem geek]

That's interesting and the first report we've had of itching with dogs exposed to borates. It's possible there was something else in the water besides borates that caused the itching and that water replacement removed it as well. It could be something else the previous owner had in the pool.