Brita filter water for dogs ...?

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Greylegs

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Today, I was chatting with a friend when I noticed my dog's water bowl looked a bit empty, so I picked up the Brita filter to top it up. My friend was aghast and informed me that dogs should never be given filtered water ... Only tap water...

This is something I never knew .... My dog seems to prefer it.

Does anyone know if I should or should not be giving filtered water to my dog?
 
I'm assuming that this is a t-i-c thread.

My dogs drink from puddles, from streams, and from stagnant ponds, the water of which is green. My Cockers, not all but some, will eat not only horse and sheep ***t, but their own. I strongly suspect that the niceties of filtered water isn't going to benefit or harm them.

Alec.
 
Tbh... This is my view too. Given the opportunity, my boy's favourite tipple is fish pond water, but happily drinks from puddles and just about any water source if he's thirsty and it's available. He's happy and healthy, but my friend's extreme reaction to the sight of the filter just made me wonder, that's all. Think I'll keep topping up from the filter jug in future ...

Alec ... Not t-i-c at all. My friend was genuinely alarmed by my actions... Perhaps I should stick to Evian in future just to be in the safe side.....!!!?
 
There was something going round on facebook last week about adding ice cubes to water or giving dogs icecubes to play with would cause bloat. Umm, mine are raw fed and eat frozen food at times. Sometimes people have funny ideas!
 
FrankieCob said:
There was something going round on facebook last week about adding ice cubes to water or giving dogs icecubes to play with would cause bloat. Umm, mine are raw fed and eat frozen food at times. Sometimes people have funny ideas!
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Actually there is research from Perdue university to suggest that giving ice cubes to dogs can increase the chances of GDV. It causes the stomach to go into spasm. My lily had a GDV 5 years ago and still occasionally bloats despite being raw fed her whole life.
Other risk factors include: feeding from raised bowls, exercise 1 hour before or after feeding, feeding kibble that swells, soaking kibble prior to feeding, stress and anxiety, having close relative had a GDV (this is why lily has never had a litter)
All dogs are at risk of GDV and I can honestly say it was the worst thing I have ever experienced with my dog
 
I have whippety lurchers so am always aware of the risk of bloat. In fact my young dog got rushed to the vet at 1am a few weeks back as something was wrong turned out to be an upper respiratory tract infection combined with drama queen tendencies! But I am totally comfortable feeding frozen food on occasion and I've read enough things that say it wont be a problem to be ok if mine want to play and eventually eat ice cubes :)
 
What was your friend's reasoning?

Tap water varies loads from one part of the country, some is hard, some is soft, those of us without mains water will have more bugs in the water and no chemicals.. I can't see any sense in her no filtered water rule??
 
FrankieCob said:
There was something going round on facebook last week about adding ice cubes to water or giving dogs icecubes to play with would cause bloat. Umm, mine are raw fed and eat frozen food at times. Sometimes people have funny ideas!
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No, that is a genuine concern. Frozen/cold food or cold water are fine...but giving ice cold water to a dog that is overheated can cause issues as a poster below has mentioned. This isn't a new thing, I remember a dog coming into the vets that required surgery to untwist the muscles and intenstine and that was due to the dog being given ice water in a pub car park where it was found in a hot car.
 
If you use filtered water it can strip the dog (and us) of minerals. It's actually RODI (reverse osmosis deionised) water that is the problem, not brita.
 
Alec Swan said:
No particular emphasis upon any specific posts, or poster, BUT;

Bloody Nora, now I've heard it all!! What a load of old toffee!! :D

Alec.
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Brita isn't an issue but my comment was genuine... Highly filtered water will cause minerals to leach from the tissues and bone into the plasma (blood). Basic biology. It's the main reason we give a horse electrolytes and water when they have been competing hard. RODI water, or plain water when dehydrated can cause heart attacks and neurological issues due to Ca, Mg and K imbalances.

You may have 'heard it all' but there is a physiological scientific basis to it - though brita I think is someone getting the wrong end of the stick and running with it...
 
Alec Swan said:
Fides,

a question for you; Have you ever fed to your dogs, or allowed them to eat, putrefying flesh?

Alec.
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I don't see how this is relevant? Any meat that has been 'hung' is using the putrefying process to tenderise the meat and make it more palatable.

My dogs eat allsorts! But I wouldn't give them water from my filter system (mine is for marine fish/wine/beer brewing)
 
Fides said:
Brita isn't an issue but my comment was genuine... Highly filtered water will cause minerals to leach from the tissues and bone into the plasma (blood). Basic biology. It's the main reason we give a horse electrolytes and water when they have been competing hard. RODI water, or plain water when dehydrated can cause heart attacks and neurological issues due to Ca, Mg and K imbalances.

You may have 'heard it all' but there is a physiological scientific basis to it - though brita I think is someone getting the wrong end of the stick and running with it...
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I simply don't get what horses losing salts while working has got to do with giving dogs water from a brita filter.
 
Goldenstar said:
I simply don't get what horses losing salts while working has got to do with giving dogs water from a brita filter.
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I gave that example as it is 'easier' to understand.

It doesn't but filtered water can remove minerals due to them moving from a higher concentration to lower. When you lose minerals and give an isotonic solution it is higher in minerals than the body to higher the mineral content of the plasma. If the fluid has a lower mineral level than the plasma then it reduces it still further and as a result the minerals leach from tissues and bone - which can result in neurological and cardiac problems.

For a non-dehydrated animal this isn't an issue. RODI water would cause issues, just not Brita. As I said earlier - the person the OP is talking about has heard that 'filtered' water is bad and extended that to all filtered water, which is simply not true.
 
Sorry, GDV stands for gastric dilation and volvus, commonly known as torsion or bloat. This is where the stomach fills with gas and then rotates on itself. It is a true veterinary emergency. The sooner you get to the vet the better the chances of survival. When Lily had hers I was told she only had. 50:50 chance of survival.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Sorry but what is GDV please???

Not wanting to be picky but if people use abbreviations on here it would be helpful to have the interpretation!!! :)
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Not getting at you here so hope you won't take this personally, but this isn't the first time someone on here has not known what this is. I don't know if others would agree but imo bloat is one of the most serious conditions that can affect a dog, on a par to colic in horses. In the last week one of my fb friends has lost a dog to it, and another has been lucky to save hers. Admittedly it is larger deep chested breeds who are most likely to be affected but it is something I feel all dog owners should be aware of. Perhaps Aru could post giving symptoms to look out for.
 
I've luckily never experienced a dog with bloat and wouldn't know the symptoms if I saw them.... and I've had dogs all my life. I guess it affects some breed types more than others?
 
Why does feeding from a raised bowl increase risk of bloat? I feed mine from a raised bowl (on an old shoe rack approx 4 inches high) as though it was better for large breeds to eat with their heads up a bit.
 
I always thought it was better to feed from a raised bowl, particularly for giant breeds, but according to that link this is not the case as the dog can take in more air.
 
MurphysMinder said:
I've found this link which is quite good.
http://www.pets4homes.co.uk/pet-advice/gastric-dilatation-volvulus-gdv-syndrome-in-dogs.html

There is also a youtube video somewhere of a dog suffering from bloat which I found hard to watch having lost a dog to the condition, so haven't searched for that again. :(
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Thanks MM that is really useful - good to know that I would have been off to the vets immediately with any dog showing those symptoms without knowing what it is :)
 
MurphysMinder said:
Not getting at you here so hope you won't take this personally, but this isn't the first time someone on here has not known what this is. I don't know if others would agree but imo bloat is one of the most serious conditions that can affect a dog, on a par to colic in horses. In the last week one of my fb friends has lost a dog to it, and another has been lucky to save hers. Admittedly it is larger deep chested breeds who are most likely to be affected but it is something I feel all dog owners should be aware of. Perhaps Aru could post giving symptoms to look out for.
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I didnt know what GVD was. I had to google. But I do know what bloat is and watch for it all the time as I have deep chested whippety lurchers. I think the abbreviation is the problem, not so much the lack of knowledge :)
 
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