by Melinda Hardeman

Created on: April 02, 2011   Last Updated: April 08, 2011

When it comes to head turning things dogs do, such as scooting across the carpet, sniffing the groin of a house guest, and riding with their head out the window like they are flying, one of the biggest head shakers is when you catch your dog drinking from the toilet.  But why is this a head shaker?  Why shouldn't you let your dog drink from the toilet, dogs eat poop, drink from mud puddles and drag all sorts of nasty things around?

The answers are simple.  Toilets hold a host of bacteria that can make your animal sick.  The general rule of thumb is never feed or water your dog where you yourself wouldn't eat or drink.  You might be thinking that you flush, your toilet looks clean but you can't trust your eyes, if you think you can grab a glass and fill the cup to the rim and take a drink.  Bacteria is microscopic, no matter how clean you keep your toilet, the water should never be used as an alternative to a bowl of tap water.

Toilets aren't just filled with bacteria.  They are filled with cleaning toxins. Cleaners leave behind a whole host of other dangerous chemicals that your animal should never drink.  Similar to the bacteria from a dirty toilet, what you can't see with the cleaners can kill your pet.

So if all these things are harmful, why are toilets such a beacon for dogs?  Toilets offer cool water thanks to the porcelain cibtauberm much cooler than the water that has been sitting around in a bowl.  The porcelain also keeps the water in the toilet from tasting like the metal bowl or plastic bowl.  Sounds pretty good from a dog's point of view.  Good view or not, it's not a safe habit for your dog.  The easiest way to curb this is to change the water throughout the day.  Let your pet see you changing the water that way way you won't have to worry about bacteria or chemicals.

Besides the bacteria and chemicals, drinking from the toilet is a bad habit for your dog to have.  Consider it as lip curling as if your child went to go play in the bowl.  You wouldn't let that happen, so don't let your dog.  Shut the door, close the lid on the toilet, remove temptation and man's best friend will stay healthy, happy and well-mannered.

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