About 10 minutes from my house, there’s an adorable town with a quintessential “Main Street.” The busy road is lined with mom-and-pop restaurants and small boutiques. It’s as pretty as a postcard! During the scorching summer months, many of these business owners put communal water bowls by their door, so passing dogs can stop to hydrate. You, too, have probably spotted public water bowls at the park, beach, or while out-and-about. While the motive is good, are these communal bowls safe for our dogs?
Short answer: No.
While it’s essential for our canine kids to have access to fresh water at all times (especially on extremely hot days), shared water bowls pose a risk.
Communal Water Bowls Are Filled With More Than Just Water
Public water bowls are a breeding ground for various bacteria, viruses, or parasites.
One concern is cleanliness.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve spotted some pretty nasty water in those communal bowls. From drowned bugs to thick saliva bubbles and even murky colors, one look inside will have you asking: “When was the last time this water was changed? And when was the last time this bowl was thoroughly cleaned?”
Stagnant water provides the perfect environment for bacteria and parasites to multiply and thrive. Plus, when dog bowls are overdue for a cleaning, they develop a slippery, slimy, goo-like substance called biofilm. Listeria and E. coli are two organisms that call biofilm home. If a water bowl isn’t properly cleaned, that bad bacteria will reproduce and the water will become contaminated. Bad biofilms have been linked to urinary tract infections (UTIs), bladder infections, middle-ear infections, and more.
Another concern is little critters.
When bowls are left outside, it’s not impossible for rodents and other critters to pass by and urinate or defecate on the bowls. The issue? Both Leptospirosis and Giardia can be contracted by drinking contaminated water.
What about the other dogs?
Ask yourself this question: Would you go to a restaurant and drink from a complete stranger’s glass? I’m sure you said No Way! You don’t know if that person is fighting off a cold, the flu, or Covid. Who knows what germs they’ll pass along. Well, it’s the same thing for our dogs. Was the last dog who drank from that bowl vaccinated? Did they have giardia, lepto, coccidia, kennel cough, or canine papilloma virus?
Along with passing certain diseases through their saliva, if a dog recently stuck their nose into a pile of (unknowingly) infected poop then they can pass fecal matter into the water bowl by dipping their snout in to take a lick.
A Safer Alternative
When leaving the house for an outing with your precious pooch, always bring your own fresh water. I like to carry this water bottle with me. On the surface, it looks like a regular water bottle, but it features a food-grade silicone flap that you simply flip up, and voila — you have yourself a water bowl for your pooch! Use the carabiner to clip the bottle to your dog’s leash or, if you’re carrying a tote bag, just throw it into your purse. Simple and convenient.
