Customer reviews for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Uses a free-falling stream of water to continually aerate your pet's water with healthful oxygen. Click "More details" below for a link to the Product Manual.
Overall rating:
(14 reviews) 14
11 of 14(79%)customers recommend this product.
Reviews for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Review 1 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
After 3 years still going strong!
March 6, 2013
by Weldo
fromChesapeake, VA
How many pets do you have?2
How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year
Performance
Quality
Value
We purchased this for our two big dogs about three to four years ago and it's still working great. You need to make sure you give it a thorough cleaning (at least) every other week so that the motor doesn't get clogged with "gunk". We have used the fountain both indoors and outdoors and it has worked great. Good investment.
Pros: durable
Review 2 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
Alright drinking fountain
February 23, 2013
by GhostriderGale
fromCamas, Wa.
What is your gender?M
How many pets do you have?2
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly
Performance
Quality
Value
Good fountain over all, unfortunately though it says it is dishwasher safe and it was warped in my dishwasher. Still works but doesn't look it's best any more and the top lid just kind of sits on top now rather then it did when it was new. One thing I've heard is some people have problems removing the pump from the water base. I came up with a very easy solution that makes taking out the pump a snap everytime without any problems whatsoever! Here's the trick! Get a fairly long zip tie like around 10-12 inches long and wrap it around the pump to where the extra of the zip tie is hanging out to the outside of the bowl base. You can take the extra and bend it inside the gap between the outside of the water bowl and the inside of the outer side when not needed. Just pull out the extra end of the zip tie when you need to remove the pump and pull on the zip tie toward the direction to remove it and it will easily turn. My zip tie can be removed from the pump being I can only get it so tight. But I just leave it on the pump and tuck the end in as mentioned above. If you happen to attach the zip tie the wrong direction to remove just slide off the pump and turn the zip tie 180 degrees and slide back on pump. Hopefully you'll see how easily this works. Sure has made my life a lot easier when I need to remove the pump! I do believe this fountain could be built a lot better then it is, especially for the price it costs! But it works so I guess it's alright as is?
Review 3 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
Overall a good product
February 2, 2013
by hutchjess
fromReno, NV
What is your gender?F
How many pets do you have?3
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly
Performance
Quality
Value
The Drinkwell Water Fountain is a good product and I would recommend it to homes with multiple pets. You do need to clean it every week to two weeks though. It does tend to get dirty with multiple pets drinking from it. It holds a good amount of water also. The only bad thing I can say about it is the price of it is a little too much and after I had it for a year the pump/plug broke so I just had to buy a replacement.
Pros: Slide Resistant, Spillproof
Review 4 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
Love this
January 12, 2013
by oleladydevine
fromSE Texas
What is your gender?F
How many pets do you have?2
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly
Performance
Quality
Value
Reviewer Images
I purchased a DrinkWell Big-Dog water fountain almost 10 years ago & it is still doing its job very well. I have a dog & a cat. It provides clean moving water, an essential for cats 24/7 with me only having to refill it every week or so. Very convenient for both my pets & me.
Pros: durable, easy to clean, Slide Resistant
Review 5 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
Not What It Is Cracked Up To Be
January 8, 2013
by JELLYROLL
fromOrange County
What is your gender?F
How many pets do you have?1
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly
Performance
Quality
Value
My puppy drinks a lot of water and thought this would be a great way to keep it cool, clean and constant flow - running. Fur was getting in the water. It is noisy, a constant buzz sound, which is very irritating. It was leaking.
I tried to work with it for about a week. Nothing got better so I returned it. It is much simpler and less work to use the old fashioned way of giving water, a dog bowl Put water in the bowl, top it with a few ice cubes and viola, cold water. I change the water in the morning, and probably have to refill it by early evening. Best thing is it is quiet.
Cons: poor quality, leaks, Doesn't Hold Enough Food or Water
Review 6 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
2 Labs and 3 cats
January 7, 2013
by thor1975
fromDallas, TX
What is your gender?M
How many pets do you have?5 or more
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly
Performance
Quality
Value
We have 2 Labs and 3 cats so the bowl was always getting dirty. We had one of those 5 gallon ozarka type water bowls before. This one works great so far. Have not had to clean the filter yet. Only complaints, (1) noisy: it is near our living room and it sounds like someone is always going to the bathroom. (2) Size of the backup bottle is small. Wish it came with a larger one. If they make one bigger, I haven't seen it. My only other concern is the life of the pump.
Pros: easy to clean, Slide Resistant, Spillproof
Cons: Doesn't Hold Enough Food or Water
Review 7 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
love everyting about it, except not BPA free
December 7, 2012
by Bonzaikitten
fromSheboygan
What is your gender?F
How many pets do you have?5 or more
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly
Performance
Quality
Value
I have to clean mine every 2 weeks. I have 3 cats, including a mainecoon with UTI issues, so this fountain is a huge money-saver for me. It's kindof a job to take apart and clean, but I can get it done in 10-15min or so, not a big deal. I recommend soaking pump in vinegar every so often or it gets gunky (the white propeller pulls out completely too). Filters are easy to find, and I've even found some that are other brands for other filters, but the dimensions are the same so they fit just fine!
It's never leaked, runs really well. I put some pretty rocks in the bottom and even a bamboo shoot. Decorates my bathroom great!
There's a control for stream, but wish it was more sensitive to make more of a drip or trickle.
The only thing I DON'T like, it's not BPA free plastic. I just found out one of my cats has some pretty sensitive and severe allergies (kicks face open often and had lymph node removal surgery recently), so am now using stainless steel food bowls instead of plastic. We suspect the plastic in fountain *may* be contributing. :(
Pros: durable, easy to clean, Spillproof
Review 8 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
bowl broke in six months
October 15, 2012
by ladybriony
fromIdaho
What is your gender?F
How many pets do you have?4
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly
We had owned the fountain for almost exactly six months when we woke up to a flood in the kitchen. The reservoir was fine, the pump still works, but the bowl doesn't hold water anymore.
I'll be looking for a different brand/type of fountain to replace it.
Review 9 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
pretty good fountain
August 15, 2012
by LilLizzie
fromNew York
What is your gender?F
How many pets do you have?3
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly
I agree with "Like it", this is a good fountain. It keeps water clean and flowing. I have a big dog and 2 cats and I'm always filling the reservoir. My problem is with the cleaning. Dirt gets stuck and you can't get to it. I think they should revamp the model and make it so you can clean ALL areas of the fountain. If it came apart it would make it easier. (I think I'll do the same as "Like it" and break it apart) I put a small amount of bleach with water every month and run it so as to kill the bacteria that gets stuck in it. Then I rinse it very thoughly replace a new filter and it's good to go. I also got this on sale for $50 & think, that's what it's worth.
Review 10 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
Like it.
June 3, 2012
by pilar1
fromLebanon Ohio
What is your gender?M
How many pets do you have?3
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly
Wife and I like it and our dogs (3) seem to love it. Found after having it for 3 months dirt in the pump intake was preventing water from flowing. In order to clean it out I broke the two locking tabs that hold the water tower to the base so I could remove the tower for cleaning. Was surprised at how dirty the inside of the tower was. Now I have easy access to both the base, tower and pump intake for easy cleaning. Now that I can clean the hole unit both inside and out I like it even better. In my opinion the unit needs to be molded without the locking tabs that hold the base and tower together, so it can be thoroughly cleaned.
Review 11 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
Love it!
March 6, 2012
by Donisch3
fromIllinois
My husband thought I was nuts when I wanted to buy a waterer for our 2 large dogs and cat. First we bought the Dogit Fresh & Clear Large Dog Fountain, brought it home and my husband wondered what would happen if the electricity went out...well it overflowed everywhere. We went back to the store and bought the Big Dog, no overflow and the animals love it!! Take a bit of scrubbing but not worse than doing dishes. Highly recommend!
Review 12 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
WONDERFUL
February 27, 2012
by newlifeinalamo
fromNew Mexico
What is your gender?F
How many pets do you have?5 or more
How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year
I had a smaller version of this fountain for years when I had 3 cats and 2 dogs. When I moved up to 3 large dogs, I elected to go with the bigger larger dog version. I have had mine for over three years. I replace filters as instructed, I clean out the pumping area every few weeks and have had no problems ever. I think this is a great dog bowl. The water stays clean, no foam on the surface with so many animals using it constantly. It is WONDERFUL!
Review 13 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
Great product
January 2, 2012
by khkern
fromGreenville, SC
What is your gender?F
How many pets do you have?3
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly
Two years ago we purchased this fountain for our 12 year old Lab who went blind. He loved the independence of being able to find his water. A year later our 14 yr old Basset developed glaucoma which lead to blindness and it was so good that she was already accustomed to using the fountain and no need for an adjustment period. Now we've adopted a cat that loves the running water. The pump has died after 2 years and the replacement cost of about $20 is well worth the wonderful convenience. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that it can be a little difficult cleaning it about once a month.
Review 14 for Drinkwell BIG-DOG Water Fountain
Overall rating
Good while it lasted
December 11, 2011
by JoshR
fromTallahassee, FL
What is your gender?M
How many pets do you have?1
How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly
Stopped working after about 2 or 3 weeks... Was great while it worked (dog loved it); unfortunately it just stopped working tonight despite being full of water. Don't waste the money on this, just get a regular water jug that fills a bowl, its cheaper and more durable.