Some dogs like to drink out of the toilet bowl. The apparent reason is that the water is cold, and dogs like cold water as much as ice cubes. If your dog is drinking out of the toilet bowl instead of his water bowl, is the water in your dog’s bowl fresh and cool?
When was the last time you washed, and I mean really washed, your dog’s water bowl or put it in the dishwasher instead of just spilling out the remaining water and giving the bowl a quick rinse before refilling it? Is the water just room temperature from the tap? Try using refrigerated water or adding ice cubes to the water bowl.
If your dog is drinking out of the toilet bowl after he has finished all the water in his water bowl, why is he consuming so much water? If you are trying to house-train your dog and he is allowed to drink out of the toilet bowl, you have no control over when and how much he is drinking, which leads to when or how much he has to urinate. Here’s another thought. If your dog is allowed to drink from the toilet bowl, chances are he will also drink from any other source of available water, like contaminated puddles of standing water.
Here’s another thing to think about: Does your dog have acne? If he does have acne and drinks from the toilet bowl, you should discuss his drinking habits with your veterinarian.
The internet is filled with articles about how “safe” it is for your dog to drink out of a toilet and that no harm will come to the dog provided the toilet bowl has been cleaned and the cleaning chemical has been flushed. Let’s be clear! Any standard toilet cleaning chemical is extraordinarily harmful and is not permanently removed with one flush. How many pet parents have cleaning services in their homes? How many of us use the drop-in-the-tank type automatic toilet cleaning tablets? How often do we clean our toilet bowl? Every day? Once-a-week? Whenever we remember? Do we flush other things or chemicals down the toilet that we know we shouldn’t?
I want to make my opinion of this clear. I disapprove of a dog drinking out of a toilet bowl. If you took a swab sample from your toilet bowl, especially under the rim, to a lab for testing, you would be shocked at the number of bacteria, including the possibility of E-coli, Giardia, Staphylococcus, and Salmonella. It is a bad habit that should be replaced by a FRESH bowl of water given daily. Every dog needs more than one(1) water bowl, and they should be cleaned daily at the very least. If your dog has a fresh supply of cool water in a clean bowl, there is no reason to drink from the toilet.
Having a fresh bowl of water available, remembering to close the lid on your toilets, using childproof toilet lid locks, and closing the bathroom door will help to eliminate the problem. Have you ever considered using an automatic refill bowl for your dog so that clean water is always available?
Additionally, dogs with full coats, long hair, and hairy muzzles are picking up any bacteria under the rim of the toilet. Is that dog then sleeping on the couch or your bed? Is he licking your face or your child’s face? Is your child hugging and kissing this dog after he drank out of the toilet?
Think toilet brush. That should help give you a clear picture.
