Reminder: Clean Clean Clean The Water Dish!

Hi All! So this post is a shout back to an early-on post I did about the critical importance of clean clean clean water for your pet.

In today’s busy world, it’s really easy to cut corners wherever you can. Lots of people think if their pet’s water dish “appears” clear that it is in fact still clean and okay for the pet to drink. So they skip cleaning it for a day, or two, or a week, or more. WRONG!  The worst bacteria is in the pet’s saliva, which appears clear and doesn’t even show in the water dish. So it’s very important to understand then that once the pet takes its first drink from a dish of clean water, it’s actually already at that moment contaminated. That’s why it’s so so so important to clean the pet’s dish AT LEAST once a day, NEVER LESS.

It’s What You Don’t See.

You must NEVER wait till a pet’s water dish is green and slimy. By that point, you have far and away missed the mark for protecting your pet’s health. And, in fact, have put your pet in grave danger on several levels. You would even fall under the category of negligent and abusive at that point.  So let’s definitely avoid that, for your pet’s health and your good reputation.

How To Know For Sure if Your Pet’s Water Is Clean Or Needs Changing.

The most certain way to know is by programming yourself to automatically change your pet’s water dish at least once a day, every day, whether it appears to need it or not. Just become programmed, and this will guarantee your pet’s protection from any water dish bacteria.

Another way to check is to empty the dish and then rub your fingers over the inside surface of the dish. If it feels slimy, even a little, and no longer squeaky clean, then that’s bacteria buildup already. Have you ever been, say, late to work so you skipped brushing your teeth that morning? You could look in the mirror and not be able to tell, but you could feel it with your tongue, right. That’s the bacteria. Same deal with your pet’s dish.  DON’T WAIT TILL YOU CAN SEE IT!!

What The Bacteria Does.

First, you’re forcing your pet to drink contaminated water full of bacteria, fungi, and mold. These elements can and will damage your pet’s teeth, gums, blood, and organs. Do you see how this is hazardous to your pet’s wellbeing and even its life? If you choose to ignore your pet’s water dish, then get ready for hefty veterinarian bills to fix it — for example special diet and medication for damaged liver or kidneys, etc. Or, if you don’t want to pay out for veterinary care, either, then no doubt this is the point when your poor pet gets dumped at the shelter, right, so that you’re off the hook now. But imagine what’s ahead then for your precious pet that you just left behind. His future is now at risk, for both his health and even his life.

Do you really think someone else will come along and adopt him knowing all the health ailments he now has?  If you didn’t want to prevent them, why should someone else want to fix them?  Your pet may never find a new home and family to love and care for him, and he may never get out of that shelter alive, and this whole moment could so easily have been avoided. I know you don’t want that for your pet that you love so dearly. And I’m just playing devil’s advocate here to show you the progression when a pet’s health care needs are ignored. So let’s not let that happen.

Don’t Just Top It Off – Clean It First.

Don’t fool yourself into believing it’s enough to just “top off” or add extra water to the water already sitting in the dish. This does nothing to clean it of any bacteria. You’re just postponing the necessary cleaning, and allowing the bacteria to fester and grow. And all the while, your pet continues drinking the water because that’s all he has and he’s thirsty. So that bacteria is now also flooding your pet’s teeth, tongue, gums, bloodstream, and organs.

Here’s your FOOLPROOF way to the PERFECT WATER DISH ROUTINE:

1. Empty the dish entirely.
2. Scrub it completely WITH SOAP, inside and out, including the rim.
3. Rinse it completely until it’s SQUEAKY clean.
4. Refill with fresh water.
5. Add a capful of water treatment to prevent bacteria in the dish and in your pet’s mouth.
6. Repeat numbers 1-5 at least once every day.

BOOM!  It’s that easy. Takes less than two minutes. I know your pet is worth two minutes a day, right.  Also, I use a dandy little scrub brush that has a little soap dispenser in the lid. Makes the process even faster. I will never be without this brush!  And there also are some really good water additives you can use to prevent bacteria growth. My Amazon links to these products aren’t working right now; but, as soon as I get the links fixed, you’ll be able to click and go directly to them to buy or shop similar.

One Final VERY Important Tip …

Use stainless steel, glass, or food-grade ceramic dishes for your pets. They keep the water cooler longer.  PLUS — and this is important — plastic and acrylic dishes are porous enough that they absorb bacteria. So it’s tougher to scrub bacteria away, and no guarantee that you’ll get entirely rid of it.  So stick with stainless steel, glass, or food-grade ceramic bowls.  Food-grade means ceramic that is actually used for dinnerware, and not artwork, as in sculpting materials.

Oh, And One More VERY Important Final Tip …

Fountains are a great idea, too.  BUT — they are only as clean as you keep the filter. This requires you to at least partially disassembled the fountain to get at the filter and clean it or replace it.  Filters can be expensive if you’re changing as often as recommended.  If you’re trying to save money by not changing as often as recommended, then most likely the water isn’t getting filtered as well as it should.  So your bacterial problem still exists if you’re only putting in minimal work.  Like I said, tho, if you’re willing to keep up on it, fountains are great. They especially encourage your pet to drink even when he’s not feeling well, which is a huge plus.  Again, choose a fountain that’s food-grade ceramic, or glass, not plastic.  See my earlier post  for more info.

But, at the end of the day, the number one priority is CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN!!

God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge© (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.