# Distilled water & minerals



## DeeDee (Sep 4, 2011)

I know many of us give our dogs distilled water to help with tear stains (or crystals). If I understand correctly, distilled water is basically boiled water or water with minerals removed. However, I've read conflicting info about those minerals being required and read warnings that distilled water should not be given exclusively or should be given with a supplement. Has anyone on the forum received a vet's opinion?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

DeeDee said:


> I know many of us give our dogs distilled water to help with tear stains (or crystals). If I understand correctly, distilled water is basically boiled water or water with minerals removed. However, I've read conflicting info about those minerals being required and read warnings that distilled water should not be given exclusively or should be given with a supplement. Has anyone on the forum received a vet's opinion?


Boiling water does not distill it. And yes, all the minerals are removed from distilled water. I know people aren't supposed to drink distilled water, as we need those minerals. I would GUESS the same might be true of dogs, but I don't know for sure. Most of the people I know use bottled water for their dogs, but not distilled water. Most bottled water has lower amounts of minerals than many (though not all) water supplies, so maybe that would help. With a black faced dog, I haven't had to deal with a lot of staining, though his little white "soul patch" isn't as white as it was when he was a baby!


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## Naturelover (Nov 30, 2013)

It's an interesting question. Us fish people usually know a bit about our local water quality. Here in Vancouver, our tap water is extremely pretty soft and even a little acidic (pH 6.8) coming out of the tap (freaking awesome for S American fishes). We have basically no measurable hardness or alkalinity, so it's very close to neutral pH with little to no mineral content, and in that regard, quite similar to distilled water, though no doubt contains other elements that distilled does not. My pet birds and I have been drinking the tap water for years (it's delicious) and the new puppy has been and will continue doing the same. I haven't heard of any warnings locally about adding minerals to the animal's diet or anything like that because of our soft water. So I would be inclined to think that offering distilled (or reverse osmosis) water would not be an issue for the majority of pets who otherwise have a well-balanced diet containing the correct proportions of the necessary minerals like Calcium, magnesium, etc...

I'm obviously not a vet though, and just a fish geek extrapolating out loud.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Naturelover said:


> It's an interesting question. Us fish people usually know a bit about our local water quality. Here in Vancouver, our tap water is extremely pretty soft and even a little acidic (pH 6.8) coming out of the tap (freaking awesome for S American fishes). We have basically no measurable hardness or alkalinity, so it's very close to neutral pH with little to no mineral content, and in that regard, quite similar to distilled water, though no doubt contains other elements that distilled does not. My pet birds and I have been drinking the tap water for years (it's delicious) and the new puppy has been and will continue doing the same. I haven't heard of any warnings locally about adding minerals to the animal's diet or anything like that because of our soft water. So I would be inclined to think that offering distilled (or reverse osmosis) water would not be an issue for the majority of pets who otherwise have a well-balanced diet containing the correct proportions of the necessary minerals like Calcium, magnesium, etc...
> 
> I'm obviously not a vet though, and just a fish geek extrapolating out loud.


And RO water still has a fair mineral component, just much lower than the original. (but I doubt many people here have the ability to produce RO water  )

I think that for people who live in areas with high mineral content, bottled water (at least the bottled water I've tested) is similar to yours&#8230; quite soft, neutral pH. I think I'd still go with that rather than distilled water, at least unless I checked with the vet first. And regular bottled water is a lot cheaper than distilled.

And, honestly, while I know a lot of people who use bottled water for their Havs, I haven't heard many who were able to solve tear staining that way. I do use bottled water for Kodi when we're traveling, because we've had a couple of instances where the water changes on the road have caused him some tummy trouble, and poopy butt is NOT something pleasant to deal with on the road. Keeping him on bottled water seems to solve the problem while traveling. At home, though, he drinks our tap water, just like we do, just run through the carbon filter on our refrigerator. (Our water isn't as soft as yours, but still relatively soft&#8230; KH and GH @4.


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## Busy Procrastinator (Mar 27, 2014)

I have been giving Suki water run through a filter. However, if she gets water from outside from my other dog's bowl, it is tap water.

I notice she tears a LOT and hope it has to do with the length of her facial fluff in her eyes and/or pollen season. She does have a lot of red/brown coloring, so harder to tell if it is stain or coloring. My husband detests tearing dogs. I dry her with a soft cotton baby diaper so he doesn't get grossed out.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Busy Procrastinator said:


> I have been giving Suki water run through a filter. However, if she gets water from outside from my other dog's bowl, it is tap water.
> 
> I notice she tears a LOT and hope it has to do with the length of her facial fluff in her eyes and/or pollen season. She does have a lot of red/brown coloring, so harder to tell if it is stain or coloring. My husband detests tearing dogs. I dry her with a soft cotton baby diaper so he doesn't get grossed out.


How old is she? A lot of Havanese tear a lot while they are teething and then it clears up. For a few, it's a life-long problem, and obviously it shows more on the lighter colored dogs. I have heard that the dogs with shorter noses and rounder eyes have more problems with tearing.


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## Busy Procrastinator (Mar 27, 2014)

krandall said:


> How old is she? A lot of Havanese tear a lot while they are teething and then it clears up. For a few, it's a life-long problem, and obviously it shows more on the lighter colored dogs. I have heard that the dogs with shorter noses and rounder eyes have more problems with tearing.


Karen, she is almost 12 weeks. She has ridiculously long eyelashes and round eyes, I would say. Her coat is growing crazy right now and she has fur all around her eyes. It would make my eyes tears! She is in a perpetual state of bed-head! I am not sure if her nose is short, having a Pug to compare to, her nose looks long to me.

I try to keep her dry, but am not sure if even the wiping contributes.

Even so, she is just so darn cute! I wuv her.

Busy P


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## siewhwee (Sep 24, 2009)

I am lucky to have access to distilled water (even have a choice of 1st, 2nd or 3rd distilled water, but only use 1st), and the difference in my Hav is very significant. Here is a picture before I used distilled water:


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## siewhwee (Sep 24, 2009)

And here is a picture of him now:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Busy Procrastinator said:


> Karen, she is almost 12 weeks. She has ridiculously long eyelashes and round eyes, I would say. Her coat is growing crazy right now and she has fur all around her eyes. It would make my eyes tears! She is in a perpetual state of bed-head! I am not sure if her nose is short, having a Pug to compare to, her nose looks long to me.
> 
> I try to keep her dry, but am not sure if even the wiping contributes.
> 
> ...


So she's got a long time to go before she's done with puppy teeth and teething. I'd just keep here face as clean and dry as possible. You can also use a bit of chap stick on the hair around her eyes, to smooth it down and keep it out of her eyes until her hair is long enouth that you can keep it up.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Tap water can be a real crap shoot when it comes to health. Many sources contain too high levels of arsenic , flouride and alumminum. Forty percent of bottled water is tap water, so another crap shoot. Plastic water bottles contain BPA which is another potential hazard for all sorts of disorders.Distilled water ,void of nutrients becomes acidic and draws minerals from the body so that's not good either. Long-term use of alkaline or ionized water can interfere with your body's natural digestive process by reducing the acid needed to properly break down and absorb food. That leaves filtered water which can be ok but the best is spring water which has a balanced ph. and no toxic chemicals. Just make sure you're getting real spring water. and use a BPA free container . Dogs deserve as good a water as us in my opinion.


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## siewhwee (Sep 24, 2009)

Distilled water is neutral, with a pH of around 7.0. It is water that has impurities removed. If you want purer water with more impurities removed, then you do double or triple distillation. Deionized water on the other hand is slightly acidic. I have measured the pH values of both distilled and de-ionized water. De-ionized water is purer than distilled water.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

siewhwee said:


> Distilled water is neutral, with a pH of around 7.0. It is water that has impurities removed. If you want purer water with more impurities removed, then you do double or triple distillation. Deionized water on the other hand is slightly acidic. I have measured the pH values of both distilled and de-ionized water. De-ionized water is purer than distilled water.


Distilled water is STILL able to dissolve many substances it comes in contact with&#8230; even glass. Ask any aquarium owner. The underside of the glass lid gets etched by the water that evaporates and then condenses on the underside of the lid. (which is exactly how distilled water is made)


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## siewhwee (Sep 24, 2009)

Don't mean to sound argumentative, but just curious. Don't you aerate your aquarium water, and on top of that, you have fishes producing carbon dioxide when they respire. Carbon dioxide gets into the water and you end up with carbonic acid which is slightly acidic. So could that be etching your lid when the water evaporates?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

siewhwee said:


> Don't mean to sound argumentative, but just curious. Don't you aerate your aquarium water, and on top of that, you have fishes producing carbon dioxide when they respire. Carbon dioxide gets into the water and you end up with carbonic acid which is slightly acidic. So could that be etching your lid when the water evaporates?


No, they are planted tanks, so there is PLENTY of O2 given off by the tanks. No need for aeration (it is counterproductive in a planted tank)

Yes there is CO2 in the water, but it is not splashed water from the tank that hits the cover, it is water vapor from the warm tank that condenses on the cooler glass lid. There is no more CO2 in it than there is in the surrounding air. Trust me, I'm pretty well versed in the science of planted tanks.


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## siewhwee (Sep 24, 2009)

Hm! Now you got me curious. Am going to the lab where we make distilled water (all 3 versions) and check the equipment we use for making them. I also store both distilled and deionized water (more acidic than distilled water, pH around 5) in glass bottles, and I don't see any etchings on the bottles.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

siewhwee said:


> Hm! Now you got me curious. Am going to the lab where we make distilled water (all 3 versions) and check the equipment we use for making them. I also store both distilled and deionized water (more acidic than distilled water, pH around 5) in glass bottles, and I don't see any etchings on the bottles.


Remember, this doesn't happen fast, and it may be that the constant evaporation and re-wetting has something to do with the etching. So I'm not sure lab equipment would have exactly the same thing happen. Not sure on that part. But the etching of glass covers on aquariums is a well-known phenomenon.


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## siewhwee (Sep 24, 2009)

That's why I am curious. I have been storing distilled and deionized water in the same bottles for many years. I also sterilized these bottles and water in an autoclave a lot, where there are heating and condensation too. The only solution I do not store in a glass bottle is sodium hydroxide. The etching is very visible. I forgot once, and stored a solution that had NaOH in it, in a glass bottle. Had to remake the solution, and toss the glass bottle, and store the solution in a plastic bottle.


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## Busy Procrastinator (Mar 27, 2014)

krandall said:


> So she's got a long time to go before she's done with puppy teeth and teething. I'd just keep here face as clean and dry as possible. You can also use a bit of chap stick on the hair around her eyes, to smooth it down and keep it out of her eyes until her hair is long enouth that you can keep it up.


Great idea, Karen, thanks! Learn so much on this forum!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Busy Procrastinator said:


> Great idea, Karen, thanks! Learn so much on this forum!


Not my idea! One i picked up from other people here!


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## Karen Collins (Mar 21, 2013)

davetgabby said:


> Distilled water ,void of nutrients becomes acidic and draws minerals from the body so that's not good either.


Distilled water does draw minerals out of the body, but only the minerals we can't use. For instance, calcium deposits which are stored in the joints causing lots of problems, i.e., arthritis. If you eat a largely plant-based diet, the body is able to use the minerals it needs from plants and the distilled water actually is beneficial because it quickly chelates unusable minerals. Alexander Graham Bell claims he cured his rheumatism simply by drinking distilled water.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Karen Collins said:


> Distilled water does draw minerals out of the body, but only the minerals we can't use. For instance, calcium deposits which are stored in the joints causing lots of problems, i.e., arthritis. If you eat a largely plant-based diet, the body is able to use the minerals it needs from plants and the distilled water actually is beneficial because it quickly chelates unusable minerals. Alexander Graham Bell claims he cured his rheumatism simply by drinking distilled water.


hi Karen , I'm just going by this article http://www.mercola.com/article/water/distilled_water_2.htm


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## Karen Collins (Mar 21, 2013)

Thanks for the link Dave. I pulled out a quote that the writer includes which I agree with yet seems to contradict the rest of the article.

"Let me say here that I still consider distilled water the water of choice when detoxing or working to heal a serious health challenge."

I am both detoxing and working to heal a serious health challenge. I also eat an almost 100% plant-based organic diet and take plenty of supplements.

I like balance, so I found this article which is very interesting. Apparently, according to this writer there is no evidence in favor of or against drinking distilled water. A pretty good read. As for me, I have only a chronic disease to lose, so I will give it a try.

http://www.cyber-nook.com/water/distilledwater.htm


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

yeah Karen just like many things in life ,there are conflicting views. I didn't see the article as contradictory, just that he was saying the problem lies with long term use. Certainly you have to do what works for you. I tend to err on the side of caution in this case and avoid distilled water and use spring water. It's never easy is it. I hope you find some relief in your pursuits., maybe someday this will become clearer.


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## emichel (May 3, 2012)

Very interesting discussion re: distilled water. I had heard that it might leach minerals but figured I'd try it with my dog for a while, to see if it helped with the beard staining. I stopped for two main reasons. The biggest is that I noticed that he was drinking _considerably_ less water, presumably because he didn't care for the taste, so that wasn't good. Also, I did not notice any difference in the beard staining, after about a month. From my observations, it seems that it's _wetness_ that's the culprit, and it doesn't matter what kind of water, at least for my dog. I concluded this by observing that when we are walking in wet grass a lot he gets that red staining around his mouth (because of course always walks with his face stuck to the ground, but that's another story), and when we are having dry weather the staining goes away. The only way I have found to deal with the staining is to dry his muzzle frequently, whether with towels or dryer. I want to read these distilled water articles when I get the time, though, since I've always wondered about this!


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## Miss Paige (Apr 4, 2008)

My three have been on distilled water for a very long time. I just think it is better than my city water. They get blood panels done twice a year-always normal. Very healthy dogs-if I thought the distilled water was harmful I would do something different.


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## Karen Collins (Mar 21, 2013)

davetgabby said:


> I hope you find some relief in your pursuits., maybe someday this will become clearer.


Thank you! Dave


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## DeeDee (Sep 4, 2011)

My neighbor's father is a vet, so anytime he comes to town I get free vet advice and even house calls, if needed. I asked him today about giving my dogs distilled water exclusively and he didn't see a problem with it. As always, just one opinion ...


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## jsmith2615 (Feb 9, 2014)

Chap stick!!! Great idea! We are at that point too! Thanks Karen


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