Find PetSafe Drinkwell Big Dog Pet Fountain and more Pet Self Waterers at Amazon.com
What the &#@^? A Pet Water Fountain?
I know what your all thinking…what a spoiled dog, why on earth would my dog/cat need a fountain? Well surprisingly there are many benefits to having a water fountain for either your cat or dog. Although they do make ceramic and metal fountains, which ultimately would be best for reducing acne problems in your pets…plastic tends to scratch which allows bacteria build up and can give pets acne, my cat Winston has always had kitty acne so its something I always consider when making dish choices…but when it comes down to the best of the best in my opinion Drinkwell makes the best fountains by far. But before I talk about why I like the Drinkwell brand I’ll go into the benefits you get from using a fountain no matter which fountain you choose for your loved ones. Which by the way some of the choices are quiet pretty and ascetically pleasing to the eye.
In my review on raw food I discussed the importance of feeding a cat wet diet for hydration purposes…
“As a side note most people don’t realize that cats have drinking problems…I know i didn’t know that…but its not what your thinking. Cats are obligate carnivores meaning in the wild they get all their food by hunting and killing their prey, which means all their vitamins, nutrients and most of their hydration comes from its prey. Your probably thinking but wait I see my cat drinking from its water dish all the time, and while that’s probably true, the truth of the matter is a cat cannot get nearly the amount of water a dog can get merely through drinking and lapping water. It all comes down to their tongues. So while feeding your cat kibble has probably been ok for many years (decades in fact for some) as time and knowledge of better understanding cats and their anatomy its not the optimal food choice in our markets today. And I’m sure many of you are saying “Lucky for me I feed my cat can food” which is better for your cats hydration by far when compared to kibble. “
For cats on a kibble diet it is vital for us to help promote a healthy drinking habit. With kibble containing less than 10% moisture content (as to not mold or go bag on the shelf/in the bag) the need for better drinking habits multiply.
Why are good drinking habits important to your pets health? Like us we thrive with good hydration, our skin and hair looks better and we see improved kidney and urinary health, the same goes for our pets.
Fountains provide a constant flow/stream of water which in itself promotes an animal to drink…in the wild most water sources come from moving lakes, streams, rivers or even rain…plus the movement of water aerates the water which alleviates bad gases making their water smell and taste better. Flowing water also helps cool the water as it aerates and the circulation especially through filters (which most pet fountains have) help keep the water clean through mechanical (water movement) and chemical (activated carbon filter) filtration, which helps to eliminate bacteria growth and keep their water clean and fresh longer. Another added plus, for those of you with dogs, fountains can help your dog want to increase their drinking habits which can help dilute their urine and reduce the yellowing spots in your lawn!
A few cautionary reminders…first if you want to add any water additive to your pets fountain you must remove the filter…its ok as nice as the chemical filtration can be with the filter in it will do its job too well by removing the additive you put in and there by making the addition useless and a waist of your time and money. The second reminder, especially for cats and timid dogs make sure to slowly acclimate your pet to its new water devise, put the fountain in the place of where the water dish used to be (for some easily scared pets you may want to put it next to the water dish first and not eliminate the familiar, yet) with water in it, but do not plug the fountain in depending on the pet wait a day or week making sure they know its just water and its safe then plug it in. If they seem scared turn it off after a bit and back on in intervals until their comfort level adjusts. Most pets will adjust with ease, however there are the rare who might need a little more easing into it, but with time they should come around too.
Ok why Drinkwell? Well I love the easiness of using Drinkwell and that it has the option of drinking from a pool or the stream. Its easy to fill, easy to clean, and you can even order replacement parts should the pump burn out, but honestly mine have run for years without issues. The filters are fairly inexpensive and slide in and out of place …and can be rinsed off and used a few times to last you even longer (the industry recommendation is to replace the filter like you would an aquarium once a month, and like a fish filter you do want to rinse the new filter before placing it to prevent the carbon from bleeding into the water.) They have an original size fountain which is suitable for cats and small dogs but with the household I have I have found having two of the Big Dog Fountains is helpful and all can and do drink from them, Jack is a 50 pound dog, even with the original size and the added reservoir he would empty it like he does his food dish. With the Big Dog I can clean less, water less, and still keep everyone hydrated and happy, a win for everyone. My only suggestion for improvement to the makers “Pet Safe” (who by the way are amazing innovators and always have the best reps at trade shows) would be to make the Big Dog model out of stainless steel and make the pump solar charged (after finding a solar charged bird bath fountain for our honeybees it really would be lovely if more things where solar run, in my opinion of course.) Here’s to healthy drinking habits!
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