Water, Part 1: consider the source

Water is often taken for granted in the States. 

There are many topics that could be spun off from that simple sentence, but I'm just going to share a little bit about my own experience and give you something to think about for your pets.


One of the things that I compare between New Hampshire and California is the water.

I drink straight from the tap in New Hampshire. We have our own well at the cabin that's drilled through granite, and water comes out cold and refreshing... and tasteless - just like it should be. There is no smell of chloramine, no foul taste, which is what faces me at the tap at home in California. 

Returning to that chemical smell is one of the main things I abhor about returning to California. While this smelly water is called "clean" and "safe," I have my doubts about that when it comes to the long term health of the body's ecosystem.

I found a simple way to understand this difference between the natural water of New Hampshire and the processed water of California.

If you fill a bottle of water from our well in New Hampshire and leave it in your car it will start to grow life in just a couple of days. You'll find little bits of fluff starting to develop and float around. 

In contrast, I have left refilled bottles of California water (filtered with an under-sink system) in my car for six months or more and it's just as "clean" as the day I filled it, not a speck of debris.

What is in that water killing life? 

You probably never thought about your tap water quite like that before.

It is important to remember that natural water can contain pathogens which are acquired when it flows above ground where animal feces can infiltrate it, so I'm not saying go drink straight out of your local creek without some kind of filtration. 

But dealing with bacteria and other naturally occurring pathogens is much easier than dealing with insidious man-made chemicals. Our dogs' bodies and the natural world that supports them (like medicinal plants) are designed to fight naturally occurring pathogens. They're not designed to deal with man-made chemicals, and the ever-increasing rate of chronic disease is one sign of that.

The reason water treatment chemicals are not described as pathogenic is because the damage they cause is often slow to arise and happens in combination with other factors. 

Is there a way to decontaminate your water? Probably not. They can't decontaminate it to remove drugs you've peed out, or even microbeads you washed off your face.

We have to do the best we can for our dogs and ourselves. Filter commercially provided water with the most complete filter you can afford, feed your dog fresh food, and provide supportive herbal formulas that help prevent chronic disease.

Read on to part two...