My Pet World: Special bowls can help slow down fast drinkers
Dear Cathy,
My Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix drinks his water much too quickly. He starts coughing and wheezing as the water goes down the wrong pipe. I hold him on my lap, hold his chest and slap his back. It helps but only after much coughing.
Any suggestions that might help the little guy? He drinks from a raised water bowl alongside his food bowl. Water is changed a few times daily.
- Larry, Westbury, New York
Dear Larry,
There are special bowls designed to slow down fast-drinking dogs. Slowdown bowls have something in the middle of the water dish, so the dog has to nudge around it to drink. Floater bowls have a floating disk in the water bowl. When the dog's tongue nudges the disk, it sinks a bit and the water rises up for the dog to drink, which keeps them from gulping water.
There is also a bowl called a StayDry Dog Water Dish. While it's designed for dogs that splash water all over the place, it could be useful for dogs who like to gulp water, too. It's a closed water dish that brings water to the surface via a grooved spinning wheel that's activated when a dog licks it.
Let me know if one of these works for your dog.
Dear Cathy,
I am having a hard time understanding a concept I see frequently mentioned these days that the number of litter boxes in a home should be the number of cats plus one.
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