pets and tap water

[Ann001]

I've been giving my dogs and cats tap water. It just occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't? (I wouldn't mind the minor expense of giving them bottled water, but lugging those garrafones down 200 steps is not fun) What do most pet owners do?

[DonJuane]

Try a conventional 5 stage reverse osmosis water filter with an added "booster pump" designed for these filters (booster required for non-pressurized water systems). I stick with the old style that cost about $30US (in filters) a year to operate instead of the new fancy "quick change" everyone now sells that costs maybe 5-10 times that amount to maintain. You can find a 5 stage on eBay for around $150 and a booster pump for around $75-90 and a set of filters to last you 3 years for around $100. You can work out the math if the filter will be worth eliminating wagging those bottles up and down the hills or hanging around the door for them to be delivered every day or so - or not.

After watching locals drink the tap water, it's probably something else that will nail you in the end, with pets, likely another dog or a car that will be the end rather than the water but it's always good to prevent all the ill will we can as we move forward. And what's more refreshing than a glass of water we know is fresh because we filtered it ourselves.

[DonJuane]

Other tidbits: You likely know that you can get the water delivered but you then must be home to accept it. Also in the US, pets always refused to drink purified water because it had no smell to it.

[Ann001]

I'll look on eBay for the filters. I went to post office to (unsuccessfully) open a box-- that's a whole other ordeal. I'd love to get the water delivered. I've spent days sitting outside listening for the mythical water man who strolls the alleys crying "Agua! Agua!" but he never materializes.

[Larkin]

You can also narrow down the delivery window by asking your neighbors when water is delivered in your neighborhood. In mine there is a delivery late Monday mornings, and another early Wednesday afternoons. They will call out the brand name of the water, usually "Ciel!" but in some places it might be "Bonafont!"

Some neighborhood tiendas also have garrafones available, and you might be able to arrange delivery from the one nearest your house.

[DonJuane]

Last comment about this but unless you keep the toilet lid down all the time, every dog I've know will drink out of the toilet before a bowl of water if they can reach the toilet and they will drink anything before they will drink out of a bowl of purified water.

[Barbara]

For over 20 years living here I have/had 4 dogs and they have been drinking tap water with no filter.
None of them ever had stomach or intestinal problems.

[Ann001]

My two dogs don't seem to notice any difference between tap or purified. They drink both. And they never drink out of the toilet. The cats now, they think the toilet is filled with cat champagne or something.