Can dogs safely go in a hot tub or jetted tub?

A hot tub is generally not a safe place for a dog. Dogs cool themselves mainly by panting, so soaking in water kept near typical hot tub temperatures can overheat them quickly, and the chlorine or bromine that keeps a hot tub sanitized can irritate a dog's skin, eyes and ears and can be harmful if the dog drinks the water. A jetted walk-in tub is a different situation, because it is filled from your home's water supply for each bath and drained afterward, and a dog can be bathed in one in lukewarm water as long as the jets stay off. The tub Ella builds specifically for dogs is covered in What is a pet spa tub and how do you bathe a small dog?.

Why a Hot Tub and a Dog Do Not Mix

Two things work against a dog in a hot tub. The first is heat. Dogs cool themselves mainly by panting, so soaking in water kept near typical hot tub temperatures can overheat them quickly, long before a person in the same water would feel uncomfortable. The second is the water treatment. Hot tub water is kept clean with sanitizers such as chlorine or bromine, and those chemicals can irritate a dog's skin, eyes and ears. Dogs also tend to drink whatever water they are standing in, and treated water can be harmful if swallowed.

If your dog does get into a hot tub, or swims in any treated water, rinse the coat with fresh water afterward. Watch for heavy panting, drooling, weakness or vomiting. If you see any of those signs, cool the dog with fresh water and call your veterinarian right away. This page is general educational information rather than veterinary advice, so for guidance about your own dog, talk with your veterinarian.

Bathing a Dog in a Jetted Walk-In Tub

A jetted walk-in tub is not a hot tub. It is filled from your home's hot water supply for each bath and drained when you are done, so there is no standing treated water, and you control the temperature from the faucet. For a dog, veterinary and kennel club guidance calls for lukewarm water rather than bath-hot water. The Pet Spa advice applies here too: check the water on your own hand before the dog gets in.

1. Keep the jets off for the whole bath. Shed hair can collect in the drains and jet lines and cause clogs, and running the jets would pull hair straight into those lines.
2. Leave the hydro system switched off so neither the pump nor the in-line heater is running. The heater warms water as the pump circulates it through the jets, so with the system off the bath stays at the lukewarm temperature you filled it to. Does My Ella Tub Include an In-Line Heater? Hydro, Air-Only, Soaker and Clearance Units explains which configurations have one.
3. If your faucet set includes a hand shower, use it to wet and rinse the coat so you can keep the water level low.
4. Rinse the dog with fresh water at the end, then drain the tub.

Cleaning Up After a Pet Bath

Hair is the thing to manage. Even with the jets off, some of it reaches the drain and the pump inlet, so after a pet bath clean the pump inlet cover of hair and debris, which is the same step Ella includes in the monthly routine. Rinse shampoo off the acrylic and wipe the shell with mild dish soap, or a 1 to 1 mix of white vinegar and water, on a soft non-abrasive cloth. Keep bleach, abrasives and Magic Eraser type sponges off the acrylic.

The published line-cleaning routine is the monthly vinegar flush: combine 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, fill the tub with water to one inch above the highest jets, add the mixture, run the tub for 10 minutes, then drain. Does the Monthly Vinegar Flush Clean the Air Massage Lines Too? confirms that one flush cleans the air lines and the hydro lines together, because filling above the highest jets submerges every opening. If hair got into the water during a pet bath, run that flush rather than waiting for the end of the month, and if the jets later feel weak or shed flakes, the flush done exactly as written is the published fix.

A Soaking Tub Is the Simplest for Pet Baths

If you expect to bathe a dog often, the soaking configuration of an Ella walk-in tub removes the jet question altogether. A soaker is molded without jet openings and has no pumps or therapy lines, so there is no monthly vinegar flush and nothing for hair to reach except the drain. Care comes down to the acrylic, the door seal and the drain. Soaking Walk-In Tub vs Jetted Tub: Which Is Easier to Maintain? lists which models offer it, including the Elite, Petite, Royal, Capri, Monaco, Front Entry, Mobile and Lounger, the whole Transfer family and both LayDown sizes.

Decide before you order, because the therapy package is part of the shell. Jets cannot be added to a soaker later, and a jetted tub cannot be turned into a soaker. If the household wants massage for the people and occasional baths for the dog, a jetted tub with the jets kept off during pet baths works, as long as the cleanup above becomes a habit.

The Ella Pet Spa: A Tub Built for Dogs

If what you really want is a jetted bath for your dog, the Ella Pet Spa is designed for exactly that, and it is a very different product from a hot tub. It is a 51 by 32 inch acrylic microbubble grooming tub with a walk-in door that seals shut, 20 fully adjustable sidewall jets, a removable platform that raises a small pet to a comfortable height, and a multi-function faucet set with an extendable hand shower and a microbubble handset with built-in ozone. Its faucet has a thermostatic control valve to prevent scalding, and the floor is textured.

• The dog walks in through the door rather than being lifted over a wall, and the door closes with a secure handle so water stays in the tub.
• The jets and the handset are built for a wet animal, which is why the Pet Spa can do what a walk-in tub's hydro lines should not.
• Keep it indoors. The manual states it is not intended for outdoor use, and hair dryers, lamps, phones and radios must stay at least 3 feet from the tub.
• Ella's team describes it as best for small animals. It is not a large commercial grooming tub, though some groomers use it.

For either tub, your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm the therapy configuration, and you can open a request at ellasbubbles.com/support if a pet bath has left the jets weak or the drain slow.

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