Dog Drinking Out Of Bird Bath ?

[yorkshirelass]

I have just got a rescue Lurcher . She is 10 years old and is healthy in every respect but she has taken to drinking out of the bird bath which is just the right height for her ! Unfortunately , I can't stop the birds "dirtying" the water with feathers and faeces; I clean it out every day but can't help wondering if the water will harm the dog !

[sandyRoe]

My dog does the same. They've fairly robust digestive systems so it shouldn't do her any harm.

[ladybirder]

Mine does it as well, so did my cat. Disgusting creatures;-))

[dannyk13]

Is there any way you could heighten the bird bath?

[Sir Alec]

Mine and my sister's dogs prefer rainwater. I collect it in 3 litre containers to water the garden, but leave one for them to drink from when they're both out. I think the rain contains minerals that are beneficial to them.

[ladybirder]

I do what Sir Alec suggests. If I leave a bowl out to collect the rainwater then they'll drink that and not bother with the bird bath. Please don't deprive him of the rainwater - they love it.

[whiskeryron]

http://www.shampoochez.com/pub_html/topics/newzletters/birdbath.htm

[woofgang]

my dogs do it too....oddly even when I have scrubbed out the birdbath and filled it from the tap! The only risk is if you have rats on the garden as they can give a dog leptospirosis from their urine (the pee where they drink as well as everywhere else) I don't see how you can stop dogs drinking from birdbaths, puddles, ponds and so on, I just make sure that their vacs are up to date and don't let water stand and fester.

[wolf63]

There is a possibility that she may have problems getting down to her water bowl and feels the bird bath is easier to drink from.

Look for something like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/dog-raised-bowls/b?ie=UTF8&node=471398031

I have just spend £25 buying a water fountain for my cats. The water is filtered and is constantly running. I have had it down for a few weeks and they won't use it. :-(

[wolf63]

I know that many cats don't like the stuff that we have in our tap water and do prefer the more natural version. It may be the same with dogs.

[yorkshirelass]

Thanks to everyone for your answers.Lucky doesn't avoid rainwater she drinks from the bird bath , a dog bowl with tap water both inside and outside in the garden, sea water, anything left in my cup of tea etc. etc. She's made herself very much at home since coming from the rescue centre 2 months ago sleeping in my bed , her own bed, on the sofa , on the grass in the garden, in fact any where at all.Took her to the pub for lunch one day and after she had some home made fish fingers, she sprawled out on the floor and snored her head off, much to the delight of the regulars .

[ladybirder]

Good on you for taking a rescue dog yorkshirelass. They bring their own rewards don't they. It's lovely seeing them settling in after a few days and making themselves at home. I love it when I'm in the park with my rescue and he loses sight of me for a moment and stands stock still scanning the horizon. Then he spots me and charges back as fast as he can go with what looks like a big grin on his face. They are all wonderful and Lurchers are fantastic dogs. I hope you have many happy years with her.

[chaptazbru2]

Good on you yorkshirelass for taking on an older rescued dog, these are the ones so in need of good homes. Mine was 6 when I got him from the RSPCA and he's 17 now and I absolutely adore him. Hope you have a lot of years left with him x

[yorkshirelass]

I wish that I could mark you all as "best answer" because I've enjoyed reading them all but I shall have to mark answer1 as best answer because that was the 1st one to answer. Thanks again to everyone .