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PawTap

by CheckYourTap · water safety for pets

Is your tap water safe for your dog or cat?

Often it’s fine — but not always, and not for every animal. Dogs and cats drink far more water per pound of body weight than people, some contaminants are far more toxic to them, and a few (like permethrin for cats) have no safe level at all. This is the derived safe levels and the veterinary science, assembled in one place — then checked against your own ZIP code.

In one nationwide study, 64% of dog drinking-water samples had ≥1 metal above an EPA MCL — your pets can’t read the water report, so we did.

Check what’s in your water

Enter your Connecticut ZIP code and add your dog or cat — your free report flags what matters for them, not just for people.

Check your ZIP code

For dogs

For cats

Breeds with a genetic water sensitivity

Bedlington Terrier — Copper toxicosis (COMMD1 gene deletion)

Bedlington Terriers carry an autosomal-recessive COMMD1 defect that traps copper in the liver. Because copper accumulates from all sources — food and water — a …

Labrador Retriever — Copper-associated hepatopathy (ATP7B variants)

Labradors are disproportionately affected by copper-associated hepatopathy; many commercial diets already run high in copper, so waterborne copper adds to a cum…

Scottish Terrier — Urothelial (bladder) carcinoma predisposition

Scottish Terriers have roughly an 18–20× higher genetic risk of bladder cancer than mixed-breed dogs (Knapp 2014). Their strongest documented environmental trig…

The science: pets as water sentinels

Dogs and cats are living early-warning systems for what’s in household water — shorter lifespans, higher intake per pound, and the same diseases we get, sooner. We’ve gathered the key studies (honestly qualified) in one place.

Read the pet water science

Pet safe levels here are derived screening estimates — extrapolated from established human health standards plus veterinary uncertainty factors — not measured feline/canine drinking-water standards. They are a reason to test and talk to your veterinarian, not a diagnosis. Reviewed by the CheckYourTap editorial team. Last updated July 2026.