A dog owner has issued a stark warning after making a revolting discovery floating in her pet’s water bowl.
She revealed that she had left the bowl out overnight and awoke to find ‘small creatures’ swimming about in the water – prompting her to empty it straight away.
She then gave the bowl a thorough clean before refilling it with fresh water.
Taking to Reddit, she explained: “Found this in my dog’s water bowl. I live near Southern California, near the beach. My dog’s water bowl sometimes goes outside but this was inside when I found it this morning.”
The footage reveals approximately 20 to 25 tiny, worm-like organisms wriggling around in the bowl, which is positioned outside in the garden during filming.
Responding to her post, one user commented: “Floridian here – these are 100% mosquito larvae. Dump the bowl, clean it, and leave it inside.”
Another user remarked: “Replace the water daily and you won’t have this problem.”
A third user observed: “Mosquitoes like to lay their eggs in stagnant water. Any water sitting outside can become a mosquito baby explosion.”
One more user noted: “Definitely mosquito larvae. Yuck. If your dog happened to get a sip, it won’t harm him urgently but the water has to go.
“You have to check/clean the water bowl every so often to make sure this doesn’t happen. This happens with horse troughs too. You can also get a bowl that recirculates the water so the water isn’t stagnant.”
Chem Free Pets and Lawn shared advice on what to do if you discover mosquito larvae in your pet’s water bowl, stating: “It’s common to find mosquito larvae in your pets’ water bowls, especially if the bowls are outside.
“Pet water bowls are the perfect environment for mosquitoes to lay eggs. However, it’s not good for your pet to drink water from a bowl infested with mosquito larvae, eggs or pupae because mosquitoes can carry heartworms.
“Since mosquito larvae are translucent, it’s hard to see them unless you’re looking for them. If you have pet water bowls outside, routinely check them for pests. If you see mosquito larvae in your pet bowl, dump out the water.
“Next, thoroughly clean the bowl with soap and water to remove all the mosquito larvae and other pests that may have entered the bowl.
“To deter female mosquitoes from laying their eggs in your pet’s water bowl in the future, get into the habit of refreshing the water daily.
“Mosquitoes look for standing water to lay their eggs, so the more often you refresh your water bowls, the less chance that mosquito larvae have of surviving.”