WARNING: hidden danger in our homes may be killing your pet

Cat and Dog owners have been warned of a hidden danger that may be toxic to our beloved pets.

Water filtration expert, Gene Fitzgerald, revealed that even if the water in our taps is safe for us to drink, it could be ‘slowly poisoning’ our furry friends, according to The Mail Online, Thursday, May 4.

Certain elements found within our water may be toxic to our animals and could lead to chronic illnesses.

Fitzgerald, who works for Best Osmosis Systems, said, ‘Hard water contains high levels of calcium and/or magnesium. For pets, this can be harmful.

‘If a dog drinks too much hard water for too long a period, for example, they can develop conditions such as urinary tract and/or bladder infections, cystitis, urinary obstruction, crystalluria and stone formation.’

Other complications in such as skin problems, as well as digestive and dental issues can also be attributed to pets drinking hard water.

Although the expert did admit that the UK is known for having some of the best tap water in the world there are some ‘hard water areas’.

However, some tap water is perfectly suitable for our pets, the key to it all is the location and the quality of the water, which can vary so much.

One way to improve the water for our animals is to remove the harmful elements from hard water which will greatly reduce the risk to our pets.

Techniques such as reverse osmosis and distillation softeners are good options, but caution must be exercised as softeners ‘contain sodium’, which can be ‘equally harmful.’

It should also be noted that smaller pets who already have pre-existing health problems are more at risk due to hard water health issues.

If any animal lovers are worried, the best thing to do is to get the quality of the water where they live analysed, paying particular attention to the hardness of the water.

Simple testing equipment can be purchased online, or simply use filtered tap water.