The Weekly Growl: A Canine Commentary

DrinkWell's BigDog® Pet Fountain

"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! 

Read about these other great products: Canine Covers, Bamboo Grooming Products, Brakefast Bowl, Dog Holiday List, 12 Days of Dog-mas, Prepping Your Home for the Holidays, Happy Tails Spa Products, Wellness Bed, Spray Commander, PetSleeves, Pet Costumes, 1-800-LostDog, Animal Pathways, Wubba World's Dog Toys, Ruffwear, PupLight, Drinkwell's Big Dog Pet Fountain, and the Tapeless Wound Care System