Thursday, November 3, 2011

Pet Product of the Month

My favorite large pet fountain.
As a pet sitter and a pet parent I always make sure all  pets have fresh clean water. Just like us, dogs and cats bodies are comprised of mostly water. While most people don't consider water a nutrient, it is without a doubt the most important one. While your pet's food can supply a little or a lot of your pet's daily water needs, (dry food contains up to 10% moisture and canned foods have up to 78% moisture) water is the one thing to which your pet should have unlimited access. Animals know when they're thirsty and they should have free access to clean containers of pure, healthy water at all times.

Anything to encourage more water intake is helpful particularly for cats, who by nature, aren't big drinkers. Putting various kinds and sizes of water bowls in different locations around the house helps to encourage more drinking. If your pets go outside be sure to keep bowls of fresh water there as well. Pet water fountains are great forthose pets that like to drink out of faucets or prefer running water. We go through a lot of water at my house and  the stainless steel fountain shown above is one that is big enough for my eight pets. It's very quiet too. I have another smaller one (below) just for the cats in another room. The water stays fresh and oxygenated, plus the fountains come with filters that you change out every few months. (Be sure to buy plenty of extra filters!) I find it's best to use filtered or bottled water in pet fountains. They do have to be cleaned periodically but I have found them to be easy to clean. Some models have reservoirs to hold extra water so you don't have to add water as often. There are probably a dozen different types of pet fountains. You can find them at most pet supply stores. Try doing an on-line search to find the different models and the best prices.



This model has a reservoir.



Another one of my favorites.
This model comes with or without a reservoir .