Pet Health Tip - Water

Water comprises approximately 60% of an animal’s body weight, so providing fresh, filtered water should be a priority for pet parents. This is because water can be contaminated with a huge variety of unhealthy chemicals. These include benzene, nitrates, arsenic, lead, chemicals from pesticides etc. However, one of the most dangerous chemicals is actually added to municipal water as part of the treatment process - chlorine! This chemical has long been associated with an increased risk of bladder and rectal cancers and recently even breast cancer. In fact, the U.S. Council of Environmental Quality recently released a report stating that the risk of cancer is 93% higher among those drinking chlorinated water than among those not drinking chlorinated water! Unfortunately, well water can be just as bad so be sure to have yours tested.

What should I do?

Don’t rely on distilled water, this is a common mistake. Distilled water should only be used for a week or two at a time as part of a cleansing regimen. Because it is virtually mineral-free it can act very aggressively in the body and quickly deplete minerals and electrolytes.

After researching and comparing filters, our preference is an activated charcoal filter that provides slightly alkaline water associated with longevity in studies. We use the 2-Stage Under Counter filter from Aquasana for our family that can be found here: https://www.aquasana.com/. It filters out 10 times more contaminates than pitcher or faucet type filters according to Aquasana and has a much more economical cost per gallon as well. One thing about bottled water, not only do all these plastic bottles present a real challenge to the environment, a recent study turned up plastic contaminants in the majority of bottled water! So, get a water filter to provide your dog or cat with healthy drinking water and a reusable water bottle that you can fill for yourself!