How to choose a drinker for a dog?

Plastic

Plastic bowls are the most common type of dog drinkers due to their low cost and large selection of sizes and colors. The advantages of such bowls include ease of washing and the fact that they do not absorb odors if the drinker is of high quality.

However, plastic bowls have more disadvantages than advantages:

• The light weight of the plastic bowl makes it unstable. Such a bowl is not difficult to turn over, especially if the dog has long ears and long hair on the face;

• Many types of plastic are toxic and not environmentally friendly. It is often very difficult to check the safety of a certain bowl, when buying, you need to look for the presence of the mark “the material does not contain BPA (Bisphenol A)”. Bisphenol A is a dangerous chemical that was recognized in 2010 to have a detrimental effect on the brain and reproductive system, and can also cause cancer.

Metal

Stainless steel bowls are perfect for both indoor dogs and outdoor pets. The disadvantages of metal bowls are insignificant, but for some they may not be at all:

• Metal is a very slippery material, sometimes metal bowls are unstable or lack special rubber inserts to prevent slipping. But there are special racks for bowls. They not only solve the problem of slipping, but also have a beneficial effect on the dog’s spine, since they have a special height adjustment of the drinker;

• Metal bowls have a minimalistic design.

Ceramics

Even though ceramic bowls are the most expensive, their number of advantages proves that they are worth it:

• Ceramic drinkers are quite heavy, so it is difficult to turn them over:

• This dog bowl can be washed in the dishwasher;

• Ceramics is a safe material;

• There is a huge selection of ceramic bowls. If it’s important to you that the drinker matches the color scheme of the room, or you want to purchase a bowl of a certain color or design, you should look into ceramic bowls.

Automatic drinkers

For owners who are away from home for a long time, as well as for pets who disdain to drink standing water, automatic drinkers were invented. They allow you not to worry about the presence of water in the bowl and its quality for a long time. Such drinkers are divided into two types:

1. Simple

   In a simple automatic drinker, the liquid is in a special container and is served as the dog drinks water. From such a bowl, the pet drinks much more water than from a regular one, which has a positive effect on his health.

2. Drinking Fountain

   Such a drinker is a more advanced version of an automatic drinker. Its advantage is that the water constantly circulates, as a result of which it is always fresh, saturated with oxygen. Animals will drink such water more readily than stagnant water.

   Also in the drinking fountain there is a filter, which is usually enough for one and a half to two months. It traps dust, hair and food particles that have settled on the surface of the water, which makes frequent water changes in the drinker unnecessary. Sometimes manufacturers equip such drinkers with various additional options (for example, the function of cleaning the dog’s mouth using special tablets).

April 3 2018

Updated: April 13, 2018