bottled vs. tap water

Question
Hello Doctor,

A friend of ours mentioned that she gives her rabbits only bottled water as the chemicals / minerals that are added to the city water is not good for them. We have been using tap water for our rabbits for years and have had two cases of sludgy bladder, could they have been caused or made worse by the water? Do you recommend not using tap water?

Thanks,

Chris

Answer
Dear Chris,

Your friend is a little over-cautious--and wrong.  Bottled water isn't regulated by any agencies, and some bottled water is just...bottled tap water!  But dirty!  The only thing not so nice in city tap water is the chlorine (which kills harmful bacteria). It doesn't taste great, but it's not harmful in the quantity found in tap water.

I *never* buy bottled water.  It's a huge scam, and certainly not worth the money and all that plastic in the landfill.  If you're concerned about minerals in your drinking water, a much better option is to buy a filter that fits onto your faucet, or under the sink.  We have a filtration system that works very well, and we *know* the quality of our water.  A good home filtration system is not expensive (it pays for itself very quickly!), and it's so far superior to bottled water that there's just no comparison.

Sludgy bladder is caused by metabolic bone disease, not drinking water or diet.  So I'd stick with the tap water, which is tested and regulated.  And you might want to educate your friend about the money-making scam that is the Bottle Water Industry.

Hope this helps.

Dana