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Was curious if anyone here has used water heaters before with success? If so what kinda setup did you use that worked?
(i have not used them before, and for those of you who live in the colder climates know what I mean when I say it takes at least three to five times more work in the winter compared to the summer.)
I dont have any water buckets outside during the winter months. All I have is a feed bucket... I just have 2 cups worth of water in the food bucket so that its like a soup. And I feed raw so the hounds get plenty of water from the raw meat that they eat... no need for any other extra water during the winter months...
:idea:Quote:
Originally Posted by ZeroCool
I feed a raw diet as well, but in the winter months where I'm located water can mean life or death 2 cups would not be enough here with as active as my dogs are!
anyway was curious if anyone had tried some type of water heaters and had success with them.
how cold does it get?? Yes I use heated water dishes. But they are no good if it's real cold. There is a pond warmer available from Jeffers, and I'm sure other places to drop into buckets or dishes.
I have no experience with water heaters, but most of the folks I know in cold country do as Zero Cool does.
In TN, when it got around 4 degrees, I would also tote a 5-gal container of WARM BROTH for the dogs, every morning and evening, which they accepted with relish.
I got a brand new 5-gal plastic kerosene container (unused of course), and I would put 1 chicken bouillon cube at the bottom, and then fill it up with VERY warm water from my bath tub. Then I would take it around the yard and give maybe 2-4 cups of water (whatever they would drink their fill of) ... and the heat warmed them up, while the slight smell of "chicken" made them drink their fill of it.
Again, doing this morning and evening resulted in at least two "drink till I am full" opportunities for the dogs. Also, make sure that their house openings are VERY SMALL, so they have to squeeze their way into it, that way less cold air comes in. And, naturally, that their houses are packed with straw.
Jack
Thanks all for the replies... I already do something similar like you guys have mentioned. I don't necessarily NEED water heaters I was just curious as to whether anyone had used them with success.
i dont like to add water to the raw food. cause the more watery the food, the faster it passes the stumic, the less value the food will have for the dog.
its freezing for 2 days now here, so didnt have to add any water up till then.
i like the chicken bouillon tip, you're saying you add warm water? you cooking that before or not, i thought warm water contains more bacteria then cold water.
thanks
Can anyone confirm this? I'm not in the coldest area but I've noticed my bulldog barely touches his water bowl during the winter. I too add water to his raw to up his H20 intake.Quote:
Originally Posted by R2L
I remember one of those old school sayings not to drink water till after your meal has digested. Then there's those other sayings that water helps with digestion with meals.
robert lemm was saying that on his dvd as well if you looking for confirmation, sorry jack i know he aint your biggest friend. lol but it sounds logical and i noticed my dogs were losing weight on the same amount of food with water added so, figure it aint to much extra work to create some extra drinking moments. same counts for cold food i heard. dont know if thats true but i always put it out the fridge 30-40 before feeding.
I kinda noticed when I add water to his raw it comes out softer. Like less of it was used. But raw with no water and that shit came out like stones.Quote:
Originally Posted by R2L
But then with myself either way if I drink water or not with my meals its all the same. Then again we have different systems from our bulldogs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by R2L
I have nothing against Robert Lemm at all. Hell, I have never spoken to him once in my life, nor he to me, so if he's got something against me he's made it up in his imagination. (Maybe it has something to do with jealousy over selling dog products, LOL)
But anyway, if that is his view (and I don't know if it is) IMO he has his facts wrong as to digestion. The water doesn't make the raw "pass quicker"; what too much water does is dilute the stomach acid which can lead to incomplete digestion--whereas the raw fed by itself gets the full undiluted stomach acid to break it up.
Regarding warm water having more bacteria, that may be true in the sense that cold standing water in Alaska probably has fewer bacteria than warm standing water in Panama ( :lol: ), but the water that comes out of my faucet is the water that comes out of my faucet; one just goes through the water heater and one does not.
Jack
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Ok so adding extra water to the raw food isnt the best idea. Thanks for you explanation I think he meant it passed trough faster but i might have misunderstood. All i know for sure is my dogs loose more weight on the same amount of food with added water
About warm water, i will put a piece of text trough google translator written on the website of our countries main water supply, one of the best quality drinking water in the world.
"Can I drink hot tap water?
As a water company, we do not recommend drinking hot water from the tap. It is possible that metals from the pipes or the boiler or water heater in warm water. This applies to both old and new pipes. Also there remains a chance that metals like copper, lead and cadmium dissolve in warm water.
But you can drink hot water from the tap to get cooked. A cup of boiled tap water or boiled water that has cooled, are no problem."
My bad about the bacteria, remembered it wasnt all healthy tho :)
That is because they're not digesting it was well because their stomach acids were diluted with too much water.Quote:
Originally Posted by R2L
No digestion = no absorbed nutrients.
Yeah, I have heard it is "possible" to get trace metals from the pipes, etc., so technically this is correct. However, I seriously doubt it's anything to worry about within the context of my use with the dogs. There is a difference from the accumulated effects to a human being of drinking these elements every day for the course of 10 years, than there is for a dog being given a couple of cups a day just during cold months.Quote:
Originally Posted by R2L
For the temorary use of hot tap water in extreme cold weather I, for one, would much rather just run some hot bath water into two 5-gal jugs ... and tote them to my dogs ... than I would trying to "heat by hand" 5-gallons worth of water on my stove first, and then have to pour it all out into new containers :lol:
The way I described only took about 20-30 seconds to do, whereas if I would have broken-out my tiny soup pots to heat enough water on a stove would to fill two 5-gallon jugs, it would have taken at least an hour or more to do (though I suppose I could have bought a special cauldron to do so :lol: )
Cheers,
Jack
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guess you're right, these companies make sure they "hedge"? themselves as well.