One of the scariest situations I’ve been in as a pet parent so far was when Luna was unable to keep any food down and I didn’t know why. Off to the vet we went and a $500 vet bill later, I learned she was extremely dehydrated. She had to get fluids injected into her back and looked a bit like Quasimoto.
Thank goodness we caught it while it was treatable.
I was inexperienced and I assumed that dogs would drink when they were thirsty. If I provided water, then she would drink it, right? Well the typical recommended amount of water for humans is 64 oz per day. I know that and understand that, but I can’t with 100% certainty tell you the last time I reached that.
If I can’t do it, how can I expect my dog to stay hydrated on her own?
Luna doesn’t know or comprehend how much water she drinks. She drinks when she feels thirsty like after a long walk or while being out in the sun, but just like with humans she needs to drink BEFORE she feels thirsty. To keep her really hydrated, I had to change a few things in our lives.
I started giving her more frozen treats and flavorful broths to entice her to consume more water. I also started adding a bit of water to her kibble and adding extra water to her dehydrated food because I knew she would lick it right up.
I also always bring water with us everywhere we go. My basic rule of thumb is that she won’t drink it if it isn’t available, so always make it available.
We have a few different water bottle and bowl combinations that work well on walks or when we are spending the day outside, but I had difficulty finding a solution for when we were on a long car ride.
It was difficult to dispense water from a bottle without it raining throughout the entire car. There was almost a 100% guarantee that she would flip over any bowl we tried. And if not, then it would surely splash.
But thankfully while attending the Global Pet Expo back in March I found it. I found the solution.
Sleepypod was showing off their Yummy Travel Bowls, which first and foremost come in adorable bright colors like Key Lime, Mango Tango, Blueberry, Sea Breeze, and Very Berry.
My paws were crossed and Sleepypod agreed to send us a Yummy Bowl to try. We picked the Medium size in Key Lime (they also have size Small) and I felt like a little kid on Christmas when it arrived.
When Sleepypod designed the Yummy Travel Bowls, they truly thought of everything. The bowl has three different components: a spill resistant water bowl (the base), a food bowl that slips into the water bowl making it leak-free, and a lid that seals it and makes everything entirely spill-proof. The lid also doubles as an extra dish and looks like a little cup and saucer.
You know what really blew my mind? If you add a bit of water to the “saucer” part of the lid, it acts as a little moat and prevents ants from getting into your dog’s food. I so cannot wait to take our Yummy Bowl camping!
We took our Yummy Bowl with us on our road trip to BlogPaws and it worked spectacularly. It acted as Luna’s water bowl in the hotel rooms and when we packed up to go to the next location, we could just put the lid on and take the water with us. Then we had plenty of water for Luna in the car.
Luna road with her Yummy Bowl on the seat next to her and it never leaked or splashed. Once I put the lid on, I didn’t even care what orientation the bowl was in because I was confident it wouldn’t leak and it never did!
The Yummy Travel Bowls are a bit pricey at $29.99 for the Small and $39.99 for the Medium, but the quality, durability, and versatility of these bowls make them absolutely worth it. You can get yours on Sleepypod’s website.
Disclaimer: Sleepypod provided one Yummy Travel Bowl free to review. I received no compensation or additional benefits for mentioning the products in this post. The opinions and ideas in this post are my own and are uninfluenced by any other person or business.
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