PetSafe Redefines Pet Hydration
Did you know that July is National Pet Hydration month? Although we’re nearing the end of the month, we wanted to take some time to talk about this very important issue. We all know our dogs need water, but exactly how much do they need?
According to Willie Wallace, CEO of Radio Systems Corporation, makers of the PetSafe brand,
Our pets need one ounce of water per pound of body weight each day. Proper hydration plays a big role in a pets health, and can save pet parents a trip to their vets office.
By that math, Atka needs about 130 ounces, or over 16 cups of water a day. That’s a LOT of water! Makes our recommended 64 oz of water seem like child’s play, doesn’t it? 😉
Maintaining proper hydration levels is extremely important for your dog’s health as it prevents urinary tract infections, helps with energy levels, regulates body temperature, and improves recovery time from illness or surgery. Serious dehydration shows obvious signs, but there are several signs that can indicate even mild dehydration:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Lack of energy
- Excessive panting
- Loss of appetite
- Sunken or dry eyes
- Dry, sticky gums
- Loss of skin elasticity
Pet Fountains
Before BlogPaws, I never even considered getting a pet fountain for two reasons: they’re (obviously) more expensive than a traditional water bowl and I didn’t think Mauja and Atka would see any benefits from using a fountain. My mind changed when PetSafe set up pet fountains all throughout the BlogPaws conference hotel.
First, Mauja loved drinking from them. I’m not sure why I never thought of that because she loves drinking from a spigot. She’ll run over mid bark sesh if she hears us turn on the spigot to get a quick drink. For all you Great Pyrenees lovers, you know it takes a LOT to pull a pyr away from bark duty!
Second, they were gorgeous. I don’t need fancy, expensive things, but I love putting items that look nice into my home. The fountains looked so much nicer than our plastic water bowls – I was kind of jealous that the fluffies got to drink out of them and not me!
So, when I was given the opportunity to try one, I just couldn’t pass it up.
PetSafe Drinkwell® Sedona Pet Fountain
I’m not going to lie, I was drawn to the Sedona fountain because of the sleek and stylish look. I knew it would look much better than our current water bowl while still being functional and beneficial. When it arrived, I got it set up (which was a breeze) and put it in place of our original water bowl. I was worried that Mauja and Atka would try and play in the water and make a mess of our new floors, so I went searching for a mat to put it on.
When I came back in the room with a towel, I noticed that Nick had put our boot mat under the fountain. It was the perfect size and the tall edges prevented water from running out onto our new floors. However, it looked awful.
Can we just take a moment and look at how the boot mat ruins the beautiful fountain in front of the reclaimed wood counter? Not only is it hideously dirty from our boots, but the grooved plastic doesn’t do it any favors either (also, this picture was taken AFTER I hosed down the mat – yuck).
A Better Way to Hydrate
After staring at the fountain for awhile and trying to determine the best way to improve the look while keeping the functionality, I had an idea. I didn’t need a new mat – I needed a way to improve the look of our current mat. So, I ran out to Home Depot to pick up some rocks.
My massive bag of rocks (which will replace the current ones over and over as they fade) only cost me $4.
I placed the PetSafe Sedona fountain back on the boot mat and surrounded it with the cracked marble rocks and couldn’t believe the difference it made. I went from a horrid, dirty mat to a beautiful place for Mauja and Atka to drink which fits into our house. Whenever I get the chance, I’m going to spray paint the mat, but I still think it looks really good now.
The Fluffy Test
Mauja immediately took to the fountain, but it took Atka about a week to warm up to it. After he barked at the strange intruder, he became curious and would sniff it a few times a day. I made sure to always praise him lavishly when he showed interest in the fountain. After about a week of sniffing and praising, he began to drink from it as well. Now, he chooses to drink out of the fountain over any other bowl in our house.
Our biggest worry with getting a fountain was their ability to drink out of it. Big dogs have big faces and tongues – they need a big bowl! I’m not sure if Mauja and Atka feel the bowl is too small, but they choose to drink from the top of the fountain rather than the bowl. It could be that the water tastes fresher or it’s just more fun that way!
Overall, I’m thrilled with the PetSafe Drinkwell® Sedona Pet Fountain and how much more the fluffies drink from it than their traditional water bowl. We have several water bowls, both inside and outside, that I hope to replace with fountains in the future!
Since we love the fountain so much and know you will too, we have a giveaway for you. Enter below for your chance to will a PetSafe Drinkwell® Sedona Pet Fountain!
I think they’d like it more because the water wouldn’t be stale and flowing instead
He hasn’t tried so who knows! I think he’d appreciate the fresh water though.
I love the idea of the rocks. I’m curious if our dogs would leave them alone or if they’d try to play with them. I’ll have to give this a shot.
That looks so elegant for a dog bowl!
We definitely enjoy drinking from a fountain. I’m trying to get my mom’s dog used to a fountain and this one may be attractive to him.
I’m sure my pups would love a fountain especially Cody, he would probably take a bath in it but he already does with a regular bowl so it’ll be okay.
she is not really a big drinker so this might be a fun thing to encourage her to drink more!
My cat would love this! She always scratches at the floor around her bowl before she takes a drink, so I think she would enjoy the fresh/moving water.
I think my dog would love this- he loves drinking moving water out of a hose.
Beauregard seems to like new things so I think he would probably take right to a new way to drink water.
Our doxie would probably enjoy a fountain to drink from.
I think a few of our dogs might consider a fountain pretty cool, but a couple would have to warm up to it.
I am not sure if they would enjoy it or not. I would because they would have a constant supply of fresh water!!
My dogs would definitely prefer a fountain over a bowl.
i have 3 gals.i know my middle child would. i have 2 bowls out and if one is the slightest bit dirty she wont even go near it or drink out of it. she looks at me and waits for me to give her clean, fresh water.
Oh my god- I SO need to win for Willow. She’ll lose her mind with the fountain! Thank you for the oppurtunity
We had the Dogit fountain. Not the most aesthetic looking piece but the dogs liked it and it was cheap. Had it a good 15 months and the pump just died a couple of weeks ago. We’ll probably get the same one again – it is cheaper to get a whole new unit than to just replace the pump. Just seeing how they go with the standard water bowl for a bit.
I think my dogs would drink more from a fountain than I regular bowl. They don’t drink water unless it is fresh and changed frequently. I love that the activated carbon filter removes bad tastes and odors, while a foam filter captures hair and debris keeping the water clean and fresh 🙂
My dog would love drinking from a fountain!
I know my cats always love drinking from the faucet over drinking from a bowl. My dogs also like getting water from the hose outside during the summer, so I think they’d really like drinking from a fountain.
Yes I think my dog would really like drinking from a fountain!
Layla drinks from the water fountains in the park so I think she would, I love the idea as the water is not standing plus hey I live in a studio so for me the sound of water is like music
I think my dogs would LOVE drinking from a fountain!