5 tips to prioritize while buying travel dog water containers
Is it better to reduce, reuse and recycle other dog supplies before buying new ones?
I’d set aside some money to finally test out using Uber or Lyft to take my dog Junee to the vet. I had no idea why she was limping, what she stepped on and — as much as I love having a pet first aid kit — there was no noticeable scar nor even a sign of what injured her paw pad. All I knew was halfway through our walk, I realized I was going to have to carry her home. (She hated this idea, wiggled her way down and hobbled the rest of the return walk. Ironically, she’s constantly crawling up my leg to be picked up at home. I suppose she’s too cool for other dogs to see her in my arms outside.)
Her original veterinary appointment was two weeks away, but I was elated when it was moved up to Halloween. Still, that meant I had to wait a week and potentially keep using gauze to avoid additional injuries. If I took her in a car, I wouldn’t have to bring along a dog-walking bag and dog water bowl, which I usually bring for a lengthier walk.
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To my absolute surprise, 24 hours later, Junee was right back to normal. She was only limping outside and just fine indoors. And even after hobbling in the morning, she was chasing squirrels and stole a piece of sausage and cheese pizza from someone’s yard before the week was up. Still, I kept the vet appointment because she was due for a wellness exam anyway. And for all I know, whatever was in her paw pad could’ve just moved to a different spot. (She was still licking away at her paws but all four instead of one.)
However, she was so hyper and dragging me on long walks to the point that calling a ride-booking platform would be a waste of money. A dog who drags me to a park and wants to hang out by the golf carts (even though I have never played golf in my life) is not exactly a dog who’d rather be driven around versus walking. (That or she thought golf carts would be a much more fun ride to the vet than a perfect stranger.)
Either way, we trotted to the vet’s office and she was perfectly fine. Her tartar-free teeth were complimented and I groaned at the vet wanting her to lose a couple more pounds. (She’s already six pounds lighter than the last visit. Aaargh!)
The dog water bottle search
There was one moment during the visit that stood out more than finding out her paw pads were A-OK. When we arrived, I didn’t even have to prove that Junee’s paw was back to normal. As soon as I dropped my dog-walking bag onto the bench and sat down, Junee took one big leap to sit next to me and shoved her nose into my bag.
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“What are you doing?” I asked, looking at her curiously. All I saw was the bottom half of her body retrieving what she wanted. I laughed when I saw a plastic container that used to have Rachel Ray’s Nutrish dog food in it. (I take off the stickers and use them for human and dog food leftovers. They come in handy for small dishes.)
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After getting fed up with travel dog water dishes ripping in my bag after a few uses, I decided to keep one of these Nutrish plastic containers instead.
“Are you thirsty?” I asked her.
She nudged my water bottle to answer my question.
I poured some water into the container, sat it on the floor, she jumped down after it and slurped down the whole bowl. I smiled and shook my head. All of that money I wasted on buying fancier dog water dishes, and I could’ve been using leftover dog food containers this whole time. Reduce, reuse, recycle!
What five features in travel dog water dishes should dog owners avoid?
Every dog is different. Some will drink out of community dog dishes and couldn’t care less about what other dogs drank from it. Junee, on the other hand, sniffs communal dog dishes and will not drink out of dog park dishes 99.9% of the time. (Of course the one time I brought this up with another pet owner at a dog park, Junee strolled right over and drank from the dish — making me look like a biggole liar.)
She’s also suspicious of any dish she’s never seen before. On two separate occasions, she refused to eat out of brand new dog dishes because she didn’t trust the smell of them. This is why washed-out dog food containers worked out well. She was already familiar with them.
Here are five other pros and cons I’ve learned about travel dog water dishes that may be helpful to campers with dogs, road trip travelers with dogs, and general dog walks. Considering buying portable dog water dispensers, duo food-and-water collapsible bowls, detachable dog water dispensers, collapsible bowls and dog Bento bowls? Read on.
1. Collapsible bowls are inexpensive but tear too easily.
While they are convenient to carry on your keys or on a tote bag, the problem is you have to make sure nothing else is sharp. If you have keys on that same chain, you’re bound to get the two caught in each other. A tote bag may work, but the collapsible dish must be kept away from even slightly sharp objects like the bottom of an umbrella or zippers. And on at least three separate occasions, opening and closing the accordion-style bowls resulted in wear and tear that left a slight rip on one side. So I either had to tip the collapsible water bowl to the non-ripped side, get creative with toxic-free glue or tape to patch up that damaged side, or keep restocking it.
2. Duo food-and-water dog travel containers must be washed immediately.
While travel duo water bowls and food bowls may seem convenient, silicone collapsible bowls are as tricky to clean as water bottles. And if there is wet food involved, there’s the matter of cross contamination.