Commentary: Bottled water for dogs?

Bottled water — now considered an extravagance by many — remains a growing market in the United States and its newest economic niche seems to have taken the product to the height of indulgence: bottled water for dogs.

At least four companies have begun marketing the product for pets. Often fortified with vitamins and flavored, these dog-waters are marketed with a ting of guilt. For example, the PetRefresh website asks, “if you’re avoiding your tap water and drinking bottled water … shouldn’t you be giving the same consideration to your pet?”

The Pacfic Institute warned of the economic and environmental costs of bottled water for human consumption recently, finding that every gallon of bottled water uses twice that amount for production. In other words, every gallon of water that Fido laps up represents a water footprint of three gallons — a net waste of two gallons of drinkable water.

The companies making these bottled waters are seeing increased demand every quarter too, a sure sign that bottled water for pets will be around for the foreseeable future.

Original Source : Mutts blog