[harrise]

(Hey! Harrise is back!)


Boy, do I have a bunch of pent up doggy talk after three plus weeks. March was good to us, but more on that somewhere else. I'll start with water. My last Malamute (Lakota) was a testament to my laziness and ignorance to owning such a dog even though he was my second. They will meld to your lifestyle over time and with me that was not a good thing. He was such a good boy, well behaved and very predictable. I adopted him at three years old from a grocery store bulletin board ad. Towards the end of his 10th year, he developed many issues. Some were due to his weight, which I did manage to take from 130 to 105, but the damage was done by the time I had gotten him down there. But one thing (and I don't remember which) the vet had mentioned could be due to dirty water. After his passing in 2006 I committed myself to the absolute best welfare I could give my next dog(s). That brings me to the water OCD. I now have seven water bowls that I change at minimum three times a day. ¿Anyone top that? Also it's tap water, not bottled/filtered so someone should beat me.

 

[Mdawn]

Yep, you got me beat! I currently only have 3 water bowls outside. When I take the boys outside, I look to see if a: there is still water in them and b: if the water is clean. I usually have to put fresh water in them every time I take them outside as Uallis is a water hog.

My dogs drink well water so no bottled water for them...

 

[Willowy]

Haha, NO! I change their water twice a week. Unless a bucket is empty, then I fill it. Or if the indoor water dish has kitty litter in it (I don't know HOW the cats do that!), I'll change it. You definitely have a water OCD problem .

 

[pamperedpups]

Um, wow. I have a one gallon bowl in the kitchen that I clean and fill once or twice daily with tap water for SEVEN dogs and a cat (all kept indoors except to potty). I add either a splash of raw Apple Cider Vinegar or a few drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract to it every other day.

 

[Max'sHuman]

Harrise, I can't decide if that is impressive, weird or both. You have me beat sooo bad. Max has one water bowl that I change twice a day. We use tap water.

I understand the impulse though. Drinking bad water can make anyone (dog or human) pretty sick.

 

[MissMutt]

I'll have you know what after reading this thread, I soaked Marge's food and water bowls in soap and water and let them sit all night. Thank you, harrise, and glad to see that you're back.

 

[harrise]

Heh, I guess my dogs are messier than normal. Coco cleans toys everyday in at least one of the outside bowls. Sioux likes to stand with just his front feet in a bowl. The birds think I've set up a wash facility for them. The cats have also trained me to change their water after a dog uses it. I also don't like the bubbles that form after sitting all night, so I start my day with a seven bowl refresh. But above all, there's Bubba. He eats three meals where the others eat once or twice. When he eats, he makes what we call "butter"...

... and when butter mixes with water, it's like... remember those orbitz drinks?

He can destroy three water bowls after a meal.

 

[melgrj7]

We just have 3 water bowls and they get washed twice a day, when the dogs get fed.

 

[winniec777]

I understand completely. Poca eats from a feeder that holds two metal bowls. I bought a bunch of extra bowls so that we could swap them every meal without having to wash bowls 2 times a day. We just toss the dirty ones in the dishwasher and put out clean ones. It's really a preventive measure -- if we don't keep her bowl filled with fresh water she licks the dry bowl obsessively until she gets water. I hate the sound of the bowl banging against the feeder...like nails on a chalk board. So to avoid hearing it, we keep the bowl filled. Not sure who has the ocd in our house but I'm guessing it's not the dog...

 

[Dunixi]

I have three bowls of water. One for the dog and one for each of the cats (the girl kitty doesn't like to share with the boy). The cats get fresh water every morning. And the dog gets fresh water about 40 times a day. Not literally but that's how it feels. If his water is dirty, I change it. Usually he drinks all of his water, so I just have to refill it.

 

[Dieselsmama]

Hey Harrise, long time no see! We only have the one giant bowl here but it gets changed probably 6 or more times a day. Mo's a big drinker and it gags me to see Ella and Charlie go to drink and the water is slimy after Mo's finished with it. In the winter the water is inside, In the summer it's outside to make cleaning inside easier In fact I may just have to get an extra outside bowl this summer now that you've got me thinking about it

Oh and the cat has her own bowl of water upstairs which gets changed once a day, she's a clean kitty