Dirty Water

The core of a gun dog's health and wellness rests solely on the backs of the owner supplying the following; quality nutrients and quality conditioning. The most overlooked (and most important) supplied nutrient is also the most commonly found on earth: Water, aka Aqua, aka H20.  Just like Adam Sandler's character said in the movie The Waterboy, "that is some high quality H2O".  His statement rings paramount to the overall health and well being of both man and dog alike. The simple fact is high quality H2O makes an enormous impact on your dog(s) performance and overall health.

One of the main causes of  dog diarrhea come from the deteriorating condition of Americas water supply. Carol Browner, chief of the U.S. EPA states, "The way we guarantee safe drinking water is broken and needs to be fixed." Not only are humans affected by this problem but animals as well. Just like humans, fluid intake is crucial to your dogs health. If they do not have enough fluids while dog symptoms diarrhea are occurring, they will dehydrate. It is critical that you refresh their water supply (with high quality H20 of course!) every time they drink all of it from their bowl. Don't forget to clean it everyday. Throw stale or old water if they don't touch it for a day. And always supply a source of clean, highly filtered water.

According to John Askelon, an authority on U.S. Drinking Water Quality, recently said: If we ask the question...Are there any main causes of cancer? We think that food or exposure to industrial waste are the culprits. But Americans must understand that the condition of their drinking water has deteriorated in the past decade. Recent findings reveal that there are more than two thousand toxic chemicals in the tap water that are now the main causes of cancer.

While we enjoy the convenience of progress, humans have developed 80,000 various kinds of synthetic chemicals for home and industrial purposes. Most of it are dumped into soil, sewage, lakes, rivers and landfills and this has come to a tremendous consequence extreme cases of degenerative disease have sprouted everywhere. Before pesticides and herbicides were invented, Americans had a 1 in 50 chance of having cancer. Today, 1 in 3 citizens in the U.S. will get cancer in their lifetime, including 1 in every 2 males. This type of figure is also directly quantified to the influx of canine(dog) cancer in this country over the past decade.

All the water on this planet is re-used over and over by the hydrological cycle of nature. Therefore, there is no new water. As more chemicals are used, so does the toxicity of drinking water. So we are left with the same kind of water that gets worse every year. Most of the contaminants that can be found in our water supply is the result of improper use of solvents, lawn chemicals, gasoline, cleaning products, oil and compounds which we dump into our sewage system. In return, nature brings it back to us as rain and the water seeps in to our underground water sources.

Water treatment facilities in cities cannot totally eradicate the toxins since they consist only of sand bed filtration system. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, -Drinking water plants are old and out of date, and water supplies are increasingly threatened and contaminated by chemicals and microorganisms. In the past many diseases cannot be linked to any probable cause. Today it can now be linked to toxins in our water supply and they are the main causes of cancer.

The U.S. Council On Environmental Quality states, -While levels of these carcinogens (SOCs) in drinking water are low, it is precisely these low levels that carcinogen specialists believe to be responsible for the majority of human cancers in the U.S. In 1998, tap water tests were conducted in 29 cities and they discovered two or more pesticides in the drinking water. The Environmental Working Group report stated that, -millions of Americans are routinely exposed to one or more pesticides in a single glass of tap water.- In Indiana, 9 pesticides were found in a glass to drinking water.

The fact is, animals are prone to many illnesses when exposed to highly toxic chemicals because their bodies cannot detoxify the harmful compounds. A recent tap water test also revealed that 45,000 human infants had drank baby formula mixed with tap water containing weed killers and 9 other chemicals in every bottle. In one of the reports of the Science Advisory to the EPA, it stated, -when two or more of these contaminants combine in our water, the potency may be increased by as much as 1000 times! So, are there other main causes of cancer.  Now you know the answer. What are you going to do about it to protect your family..and your trusty hunting partner?

There are numerous quality water filtration systems available today. They range from $15 to $35,000! The best thing I can suggest is finding one that best suits your budget. Any filter at any budget will be an improvement over using straight tap water.  In my opinion one of the best overall values for dog owners is the PUR Waters Systems "at home" pitcher filter.  According to their website PUR filters can attest to the following:

Does PUR Remove chlorination by-products or chlorine (taste and odor) in Drinking Water?
Chlorine is a type of disinfectant, not a contaminant, that’s added to drinking water to control microbes. In addition to the off-putting taste and odor that can be caused by chlorine, chlorination by-products, such as total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), can form in the water. TTHMs can cause anemia in infants, young children, and fetuses of pregnant women.  PUR faucet filters reduce 98% of TTHMs, which can have harmful effects on the body. PUR water filters also remove the taste and odor of chlorine. PUR faucet mounts are certified to reduce up to 10x more drinking water contaminants from your water than the leading filtration brand's pitcher-leaving you with great-tasting drinking water. Chlorine is a disinfectant, most commonly used to kill microbes in the water supply. If excess amounts are used, or if high concentrations of chlorine are in your pipes and plumbing, it can cause bad taste and odor in your drinking water.  Total Trihalomethanes are chlorination by-products that can emerge in chlorinated water. This type of water contaminant can cause anemia in infants, young children and fetuses, nervous system effects and even cancer. Can we assume dogs as well? I think it safe to say..yes.


PUR and Heavy Metals in Water
Heavy metals such as lead and mercury can get into your water from the pipes and plumbing coming into your home. The health effects of excessive exposure to these heavy metals can be serious, especially for young children and babies. It can cause delays in physical and mental development. Also, adults may potentially be impacted by heavy metals with kidney problems and high blood pressure when exposed to levels above the EPA maximum contaminant level for extended periods of time. The EPA estimates that 20% of human exposure to lead happens with their drinking water. Which is why it’s so important to us, at PUR, to create products that provide you and your family the clean water they deserve. PUR faucet filters reduce many heavy metals that may be found in drinking water. In addition, PUR® faucet filters reduces up to 10x more drinking water contaminants than the leading filtration brand's pitcher. Lead can come from corrosion of plumbing and pipes going into your home. It also can get into the water supply through erosion of natural deposits. Exposure to lead has been linked to delays in physical or mental development in children. In adults, lead exposure may potentially cause kidney problems and high blood pressure when exposed to levels above the EPA maximum contaminant for level for extended periods of time. Mercury is a liquid metal that gets into the water from sources including natural deposits, refinery and factory discharge and landfill runoff. Exposure to excessive amounts of mercury may potentially cause kidney damage when exposed to levels above the EPA maximum contaminant for level for extended periods of time.

PUR and Microbial Cysts
Both giardia and cryptosporidium are microbial cysts—and they are tough to disinfect. What makes them tough is the way they operate. These microbes grow a cyst wall around themselves for protection in unfavorable conditions. When giardia and cryptosporidium reach more favorable environments like your stomach, their cyst walls break down and the microbes inside them release to potentially cause gastrointestinal illness like diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps. Cryptosporidium is a microbial cyst that is commonly found in lakes and rivers that can cause gastrointestinal illness. It enters the water through animal and human fecal matter.  According to the EPA, cryptosporidium is resistant to disinfection. The microbial cyst, Giardia, is a one-celled parasite that infects humans and animals in the cyst stage of their life cycle. It enters the water through animal and human fecal matter.


 According to their website
At PUR, we believe that everyone deserves clean water. Which is why PUR faucet filters reduce 99% of microbial cysts like giardia and cryptosporidium; while the leading filtration brand's pitcher doesn’t. It’s also why PUR reduces up to 10x more drinking water contaminants than the leading filtration brand's pitcher—leaving you and your family with clean drinking water.

I have been using the following PUR 5 cup water pitcher for the past 6 months(picutred on left). For my intial $15 investment plus $10 for replacement filters every 2 months I have been more than satisfied with the results. In fact, my dog, Dewey seems to drink more and often which is a good thing. I keep it in the refrigerator door and use it refill Dewey's house, outside bowls, and squirt bottles that we use in the field.

To be honest I have no idea if having my dog drinking purified water will help prolong his life or improve his performance. There is no scientific research to support this theory that many believe as fact. BUT, I have seen a noticeable difference since changing a few moths ago. I believe that if toxins in tap water are effecting the health and wellness of humans through quantitative studies I can safely assume that our dogs are suffering as well. Whether it be the short or long terms negative effects from consuming contaminated drinking water, my best bud and faithful hunting companion deserves the same as me. I don't drink from the tap. Neither will he.

Best of Luck Out There, -Mark