Dog advice in Mexico: Can they drink the water?

[rachel666]

We are headed down into Mexico for a 1 year stay with a pickup truck and a small vintage travel trailer; we are leaving next week and taking the two perros-a 20 year old (emphasis on OLD) miniature pinscher and an 18 year old chihuahua (back to the homeland!). We head to the local vet tomorrow for vaccinations, health certificate and advice. However, I have a few questions only people with experience can answer!

Will the dogs likely be adversely effected by drinking the water? My min pin has a tendency to drink out of puddles.

Any border advice I should be aware of? I am making a little folder with their pictures, vaccination record and health report. Do I need to have them caged? They are polite, toothless and well-mannered.

Does anyone have advice on finding a good vet in Mexico? We will initially be in the Quintana Roo area.

Is there a similar selection of food available? My dogs eat that Moist & Meaty food that comes in little pouches (they can't chew kibble and the pouches are sealed and convenient). We get it at WalMart. What is the likelihood that the same or similar product will be available down there?

Any other advice on dog safety would be welcome!

Thank you!

[MEXICOWANDERER]

My neighbor has a 21 year old chihuahua that just loves to slurp muddy water - for whatever its worth...

[pomsplus]

rachel666 - I have never had any issues taking dog food into Mexico, I usually take enough for the 4-5 months I am down there. It is only the US that seems to object to some dog foods.

[Tequila]

Tip try to get them to poop on the beach, its much easier to pick up, esp if they have diarrhea from drinking the local water

[briansue]

We always ask local people about water quality - there are lots of places in Mexico where drinking the water is OK - always ask - but don't ask Mexicans - ask gringos and fellow RVers who do not have the same immunities the Mexicans have. If they say the water is OK we have been drinking it with no problem and give it to our dog too. But if we are drinking bottled water the dog is too.

We bring large bags of dog food and cases of canned dog food every time we go to Mexico - enough for our planned stay and then some. We have never been questioned or had a problem. If a pet requires any special food I would not expect to be able to find it in Mexico - very much depends on where you go. Though we carry all her health certificates etc. we have never been asked for them when crossing the border in either direction.

Our dog is always on a leash - it is our responsibility to protect her and we do that by leashing her - so she never has a chance to drink from puddles or get involved with ticks or fleas - so far. Of course there have been occasions when she has been off leash and she learned to eat donkey poop so we put her back on the leash. We also always pick up her poop even though Mexicans seem to think we are crazy for doing this. I don't want to step in your dogs poop any more than you want to step in my dogs poop.

[Tequila]

We have a Mexican rescue dog & even he got sick from drinking the water. Bottled water is so cheap down there, there is no reason not to give the dogs that.

[rachel666]

Is Frontline/Revolution available over the counter in Mexico?

Thanks for the advice!

[jbnewfreedom]

In the Yucatan Peninsula, I believe that the issue with drinking the water unfiltered is not the bacteria, etc., but that the water is full of minerals that can result in kidney stones. The city water in Merida is treated. I would think that would be the case in QR as well. I've not had any issues with the water, but occasionally eating a heavy, rich meal can have me hurrying to get home. But, then that happens to me in the US as well.

In that part of Mexico it is extremely hot and keeping well hydrated will keep you much healthier, whether it is city water or bottled. Enjoy your stay and visit a farmacia if you experience any ill effects. They even have doctors at some of the larger stores. They will fix you right up, and vets are everywhere to take care of your "babies".

[skipnchar]

Cant imagine puddles in mexico are any more toxic the puddles anywhere else

[kca87]

I think it can depend upon where in Mexico you are going and what the prevalent problems are there. In the Baja, we have to be very careful of erlichia which is transmitted by ticks. So, even more than the water, we keep our dog on Revolution or some flea and tick treatment.

We also watch him on the beach because some fish are poison like the puffer fish. Eating those will land you quickly in the vet's office.

So yes - dogs do drink from the toilet, lick their own wounds, etc. and are often fine. But in the US they are not exposed to the same kinds of things they will be exposed to south of the border. We prefer to be safe rather than sorry.

I suspect everyone will have a different perspective and different experiences. We too lost a dog last year in the Baja - not from the water but from a disease transmitted by ticks (erlichia) and we didn't understand how easily this is transmitted and how difficult it is to treat in some dogs. So I mention it here in case you too may be unaware of it.

[RandACampin]

qtla9111 wrote:

tepetapan wrote:

RandACampin wrote:
Let's see, when I had dogs they licked their buts all day and drank out of the toilet. One of them was never settled when we travelled until we hooked up to the water and filled the toilet with water, knowing his favorite water source was filled he lay down, lick and snooze.

Dogs like to lick their own buts and drink toilet water, pond water, mud puddle water. I really don't think Mexican water will hurt a dog.

HA! I think you nailed it. Dogs will be dogs. of course you know why dogs lick their butts.... because they can.

Amen to that! My cats prefer drinking out of puddles versus well water or bottled water. Animals eat other animals, some of them in a state of decomposition.

Our cat won't drink out of a bowl. She will only drink out a water glass on the floor. My wife taught her that trick, now you can't leave your water glass unattended around the house. I'm not entirely pleased about that trick.

[qtla9111]

tepetapan wrote:

RandACampin wrote:
Let's see, when I had dogs they licked their buts all day and drank out of the toilet. One of them was never settled when we travelled until we hooked up to the water and filled the toilet with water, knowing his favorite water source was filled he lay down, lick and snooze.

Dogs like to lick their own buts and drink toilet water, pond water, mud puddle water. I really don't think Mexican water will hurt a dog.

HA! I think you nailed it. Dogs will be dogs. of course you know why dogs lick their butts.... because they can.

Amen to that! My cats prefer drinking out of puddles versus well water or bottled water. Animals eat other animals, some of them in a state of decomposition.

[tepetapan]

RandACampin wrote:
Let's see, when I had dogs they licked their buts all day and drank out of the toilet. One of them was never settled when we travelled until we hooked up to the water and filled the toilet with water, knowing his favorite water source was filled he lay down, lick and snooze.

Dogs like to lick their own buts and drink toilet water, pond water, mud puddle water. I really don't think Mexican water will hurt a dog.

HA! I think you nailed it. Dogs will be dogs. of course you know why dogs lick their butts.... because they can.

[rachel666]

I read somewhere that you are only allowed to bring a very small amount of your own dog food into Mexico through customs; have you had any problems with that, pomsplus?

[pomsplus]

My senior dog has been drinking water down there for years but we filter the water coming into our RV so maybe that helps a bit. The food - you can get pouches of dog food - I usually take my own kibble due to diet restrictions but have seen the pouches in some of the stores such as Walmart and Mega Store.