10 Fremantle Dog Beach Dangers

1) Pufferfish, also known as blowies.

These blowies contain a toxin that can cause vomiting, paralysis and eventually suffocation. These are particularly common around jetties as they are often caught by fishermen and left around.

2) Blue-ringed octopus.

These little creatures are absolutely beautiful. They hide away in little hollow objects like shells or pipes, or anything hollow they can find. They’re never aggressive but if provoked they can bite, and they contain the same toxin as the pufferfish, which causes paralysis and suffocation.

3) Nudibranch.

They also contain the toxin that the previous two have, and that can also cause paralysis and suffocation. These beautiful sea slugs are brightly coloured, and these bright colours are actually there to deter and warn their predators that they are full of toxins.

4) Sea hare, the black sea hare.

These are giant sea slugs. They get about this big. They wash out on our beaches when they come to the end of the life cycle in January to up to April. They lie on the beach and if you step on them, they will excrete a purple ink. When your dog licks them or roll on them, they can come in contact with a poison, and that can cause muscle twitching, seizures and even death.

5) Portuguese man-of-war.

These little jellyfish have a body in the shape of a bubble that floats on the water and has long tentacles, sort of blueish in colour. When you or your dog come in contact with these tentacles, they can cause a severe sting, allergic reaction, and in rare cases, even anaphylactic shock.

6) Fishing hooks.

We see this quite often, where dogs come in with a fish hook stuck in their lip, or tongue, or even their feet. These very often require a little surgical procedure to remove them.

7) Snakes.

Be aware that there can be snakes in the vegetation on the dunes. So when you take your dog to the beach, keep it on a lead till you actually reach the beach, because snakes will most likely be on the paths on the way to the beach or in the vegetation. When your dog gets bitten by a snake, you’ve got about 30 minutes to get to the nearest vet.

8) Aggressive dogs. Dog bites, dog fights.

Be aware that there can be dogs that are aggressive, so stay away from them.

9) Contagious diseases.

Most of the kennel cough cases we get are actually dogs that go to the beach and come in contact with another dog that’s got kennel cough. So make sure your dog is vaccinated before you take it to the beach.

10) Believe it or not, sharks.

Now I don’t want to scare you from going to the beach. By all means, go to the beach and enjoy it with your dog. Just be on the lookout for these dangers and avoid them.

We hope these tips have helped you become more aware as a pet owner in the Fremantle area. If you ever need a vet in the Fremantle area, Hilton Vet is here for you!

Please note that if any of these things happen please take your pet to the vet immediately. If it is an after-hours emergency please contact WAVES on 9412 5700