July is Pet Hydration Month, so I’m squeaking in at the last second with helpful information, a product review, and a giveaway!
I keep this running list of questions and ideas for possible blog posts, and one that’s been on my list for far too long was: How much water does a dog need in a day? Turns out, an ounce of water per pound! Check out this awesome infographic from PetSafe about water consumption in dogs and cats:
For a big dog like Lucas, that’s a lot of water in a day! Frankly, I don’t know that any of the herd drank enough each day, especially in the hot, muggy summer heat. One problem, I think, was that our two water dishes were side-by-side and sort of uninteresting. They aren’t in the most convenient location either. In the course of a normal day, they wouldn’t walk past them often (between the kitchen and back door so mostly when they go outside). But drinking enough water is critical for overall health, like flushing out the kidneys (SO important for cats).
We have two PetSafe fountains that they kindly sent us, so we set up one upstairs right outside my office door, which they walk past 987 times a day:
And we set up the other in the living room:
The upstairs one is pretty small, and Lucas won’t drink from it. I’m not sure why. He passes by it a bunch. He knows it’s water. The other three drink from it. He won’t. Something to consider if you’re thinking about a fountain. The downstairs one is more like a normal stainless bowl, and everyone was comfortable with it right away. It’s also nearly silent, which is great for the living room. Occasionally Newt thinks it’s super fun to poke her paw in the fountain part, then she shakes it off all horrified about having a wet foot. Goofy girl.
Do they drink more water because of the fountains? Hard to say. Supposedly moving water and the fresh oxygenation are both more appealing to pets. I think if anyone is drinking more, it’s Newt. Or it could be that the bowls are in places I see her drinking more often? Regardless, I’m glad to see her drinking water throughout the day!
The ones we have are the Avalon (the red ceramic one) and Zen (the stainless one). For a while I was tempted to buy an outdoor fountain–it seems like such a great way to provide fresh, clean outdoor water versus a bowl that sits out collecting crud–but then I realized that the dogs never want to be outside without me, so I probably wouldn’t use it. While at SuperZoo, though, I did see their new fountain, the Sedona, which is really simple and could match any decor.
That said, PetSafe has very generously offered a fountain for me to give away to one of YOU lucky pups! This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. The widget will load below (sometimes it takes a second). If you’re reading this via email or through a feed, you might have to click the link.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks, PetSafe, for offering this giveaway! What do you guys think? Would your pets drink more filtered water? Do you currently have some kind of filter or fountain system in place?
We all drink filtered water in this house. The freezer door has an ice/water dispenser built into it. I give the girls fresh water in clean bowls every morning and add to it throughout the day.
I think I like the pagoda one. Hard to choose!
Pet fountains are so cool. : )
I always have trouble getting Baby to drink out of her water bowl just because it’s not exciting enough–if we go somewhere new, or heaven forbid there’s a water bottle, she’s aaaall over it. A pet fountain would be an excellent solution for my quirky pup. (Definitely better than me holding the bowl under her chin and going, “Baby, get water!” Which she dutifully does…by taking two sips.)
That said, while the colours are options you guys have are definitely really cool (I really like the stainless steel) I would definitely rather have ‘the one that is least splashy’ when a fifty pound dog monster who drinks like a goon comes at it, haha.
Have you guys had any spillage issues with yours?
That’s a great question! I should’ve addressed that! Both fountains have a rubber grip on the bottom so it doesn’t slip around. Lucas is a VERY splashy drinker, which is why I put the downstairs one on the tile by the fireplace because he does make a big mess. The fountains themselves don’t splash, but the dog sure does! 🙂
Baby’s completely the same way, haha. She manages to lap up water with a magical dog technique that makes everything nearby damp. She and Lucas must have been in the same ‘How to be a Dog 101’ class.
I’ve had to invest in several small bath mats to put under her bowls to save the poor wood flooring.
I do like that the Zen fountain lets the water stream down against that metal plate, though. The advertising seems to suggest it’s for noise reduction, but it keeps the water closer to the bowl which seems like it would be harder to spray everywhere, at least.
I love the Zen!
The one shaped like a regular bowl would be great for us if it fits in a standard bowl stand!
I am not sure my dogs would drink from a fountain, but probably the one that looks like a bowl would work best for them. Two of my dogs are normal drinkers, but YaYa, my oldest will drink water as long as any is present.
I love the Zen one. I think having filtered water would be great, as right now we just use plain tap water.
I’d pick the Pagoda style if I’m lucky enough to win. I’d have to think what color.
The Sedona is the style I would choose, so pretty!
My first thought was, “Yikes! my babies are not drinking enough water,” but on further reflection, we have a total of 6 water bowls scattered throughout the house for the two dogs and two cats and we constantly refill them, so they must be sneaky drinkers. Ray seems to drink whenever he’s thirsty and Julius drinks less frequently but in larger quantity at a time. My kitty, Jae, likes to paw at the water, stir it up and drink from cups made from his paws. Silly cat.
Mine won’t drink from any bowl that any other dog has used (like at daycare) so she’s constantly dehydrated when she gets home!
I think our crew drinks plenty of water, judging by how often we have to refill the dishes! We have a red fountain, but Luke is the only one that drinks out of it regularly, I only see the others there occasionally. They might be more comfortable with the stainless one, but honestly I think they are just used to where their regular bowl is located (and there’s no outlet available there).
My favorite from their site is the Drinkwell® Big Dog Fountain. I hope that’s an option. Thank you!
This is a great idea! I think it would definitely work in getting animals to drink more! I hope that I win!
I would choose the stainless Zen fountain. Cats would be less intimidated by it!
I’m glad that another commenter asked about messiness! Nala is also the sort of dog who just lets half of the water she tried to drink…fall out of her mouth. I don’t know how she manages to stay hydrated at all!
I recently replaced her water bowl because I noticed that I couldn’t really get the old one–made out of that bamboo/plastic material–very clean, and Nala had stopped drinking out of it except when she was really thirsty. Given how horribly hot it is right now, we could really use a fountain!
The members of your herd are pretty big, right? Nala’s a 70 lb-or-so GSD, so I’m worried that my favorite fountains aesthetically–the Pagoda or Avalon in red–would be too small for her. We might have to go with the Sedona.
I like the Drinkwell Avalon fountain in red. Thank you so much for the giveaway.
I’m not 100% but I think I like the Avalon in white..
The xen for my goofball…
Our vet recommended a fountain like this. Off the top, I would say the Drinkwell® Avalon Fountain. I need to do some research!
I love that red one! We have always wanted one of these fountains. My main concern is that I will trip over it, spill it all over the floor, and break it!
Knowing that something is there has NEVER stopped me from making a mess as I wander around in the dark. LOL