|
The Weekly Growl: A Canine
Commentary
DrinkWell's
BigDog® Pet Fountain
By
Stacy Mantle
"Drinkwell's
BigDog® Pet Fountain makes water an interactive experience ."
The
dog days of summer are here, and those of us who are forced to
remain in the sweltering desert heat of, well… everywhere - with
the recent heat wave that is sweeping across our nation have been
forced to find new ways of keeping cool.
The only consolation I have is that we Arizonans are not the
only ones dealing with temperatures in the 100’s and high
humidity.
There
are ways to cope with the heat though, and today’s product is one
in a long line of products that will help us and our pets get
through the summer a bit more comfortably.
As
you all know, I’m a huge fan of the Drinkwell pet fountains. My
pets are also huge fans, and the cats have been the happy owners of
no less than three pet fountains stationed at critical locations
throughout our home, so that no feline has to burden themselves with
walking a long distance to obtain a cool drink of water.
The dogs, on the other hand, can drain one of these cat
fountains in one long slurp, even with the extra reservoir that is
stationed on the back of each fountain.
So imagine my happiness when Veterinary Ventures, the holding
company of Drinkwell’s, came out with a brand new pet fountain
JUST for dogs!
Of
course, we had one sent over right away, and installed it
immediately. The dogs were thrilled and recognized it as their own
right away. It’s large enough to act as a pool for the cats, and the
kittens love to get their paws wet by splashing the waterfall off to
the sides. (I would set
up a little beach for them, but we all know what they would end up
using that for…)
One
of the things that I have to warn my readers against is picking up
other brands of pet fountains.
Trust me on this. I have tried several different brands, and
they have either broken down within a few weeks, been impossible to
keep clean and therefore became a breeding ground for algae and
mold, or have simply been messy causing the animals to refuse to
drink from them. There
is only one pet fountain brand that I recommend and that is
Drinkwells. It could be
that it was developed by veterinarians who know what pets need,
Now,
I say this with a few comments.
You have to keep them clean, like any other watering dish you
have. They are incredibly simple to clean though, and only require
cleaning every month or so. I
was even able to take mine apart and put it back together without
reading the directions, a product which always scores higher points
with me. You must keep
the filter clean, and this needs to be done every 4-6 wks, which is
no big deal. You can even move that up to every 8 wks, which I have done.
A 3-pack of filters can be purchased at any pet food
superstore for around $9.00, or online for even cheaper.
Just shop around. That’s it. With
the exception of the filters, the maintenance is exactly the same as
a regular water dish. The
results are far different, though.
With
the Big Dog Pet Fountain, you get a constantly running stream of
water, which dogs LOVE. To
them, it’s the equivalent of drinking out of a cool mountain
stream. The water is
purified through the charcoal filter, which helps strip out most of
the impurities that dull our pet’s coats, and it holds over two
gallons of water, which means that even with three dogs over sixty
pounds each, in the hot summer months of Arizona, I only have to
fill the reservoir once every other day.
The entire process takes about three minutes out of my life.
The dogs are then happy for the next two days.
On
top of that, the sound of running water is relaxing and lends an
almost Zen-like feel to the house.
You can adjust the flow of water if you don’t like the
sound of running water to where you don’t have to hear it at all.
But, personally, we like to hear it.
It fits in well with our “lucky bamboo” on the kitchen
table…
Unlike
the cat pet fountain, the reservoir on the Big Dog pet fountain is
already built in, so there is nothing else that you need to
purchase. The water quality is better for your pet, the free-flowing
system is more natural and cooler, so your pet drinks more water,
and the water is oxygenated, which is much better for your pets
health.
The
best thing I can recommend is that you log on and purchase one for
your beloved dog immediately! Do
yourself and your dog a favor, especially during this heat wave, and
supply them with better-tasting, oxygenated water.
And during this heat wave, drop a few ice cubes in the basin,
just to keep it a little cooler.
From
the Dogs:
Growls:
Too busy lapping out of the waterfall to comment…
Leaps of Joy:
Still lapping contentedly…
From
the Humans:
Two opposable thumbs up:
By one now! We love it,
we especially love knowing that our dogs won’t run out of water
while we’re at work, and that they will never become dehydrated!
Drawbacks?
Nothing yet… If anything turns up – you’ll be the first
to know!
About the
Author
Stacy Mantle
is a freelance writer who currently resides in the southwestern
deserts of Arizona with a number of cats, a coyote/wolf hybrid, and
a very understanding husband. Her writing has appeared in
publications such as The Arabian Horse Times, Today’s AZ
Woman, and Pets Illustrated and she currently writes two
pet product review columns for www.PetsWeekly.com. Many of her stories and
articles have been translated into several languages, and now reach
an international audience. Quickly becoming known as "…the Erma
Bombeck of animals", her writing has skyrocketed to new heights
as she records the stories of those she loves, inspiring the reader
to learn why we have all come to love the animals we share our lives
with. She is the author of Conquering the Food Chain: Living
Amongst Animals (Without Becoming One), which is
available in Barnes & Noble bookstores nationwide, as well as
online at www.bn.com
or www.amazon.com.
Read about these other
great products: Spray
Commander, PetSleeves,
Pet
Costumes, 1-800-LostDog, Animal
Pathways, PetSafe's
Wellness Bed,
Wubba
World's Dog Toys, BigDog,
PupLight,
Drinkwell's Big Dog Pet Fountain, and
the Tapeless Wound Care
System | 
