The Petlibro Capsule Dog Fountain is a 2.1-gallon plug-in fountain for dogs with a whirlpool drinking dish and a splash-catching outer ring. Pocket-lint's reviewer scored it 4/5 after using it as a 70 lb golden retriever's main water source, estimating that the ring caught almost 90% of splashes. The same review found the trickling loud once the tank was half empty and put filter costs at about $65 a year.
Full review
How it works
Pocket-lint describes the Capsule Dog Fountain as a 2.1-gallon plastic tank with a small pump at the bottom that pulls water up through a filter into a plastic dish. The dish is shaped so the water circles like a whirlpool and drains through the center, and an overflow space around it returns spilled water to the tank. The pump is corded and has a battery backup that keeps it running during a power cut.
The reviewer used it as the main water source for his family's 70 lb golden retriever throughout testing. Pocket-lint lists the retail price as $60.
Cleaner water and less mess
With a regular bowl, the reviewer wrote, hair, food and grass ended up floating in the water almost immediately. The fountain's top dish kept a small bowl's worth of filtered water in front of the dog instead.
The catch basin around the dish was the other gain. Pocket-lint's reviewer estimated that almost 90% of the splashes and dripping fell into the outer ring and back into the tank, which kept water off his kitchen floor. He also noted the fountain is taller than an average dog bowl, which made it easier for his dog to reach.
Filters, refilling and cleaning
Pocket-lint's main complaint is upkeep. The main filter is intended to last up to two weeks, and at $2.52 per filter in the cheapest Petlibro 8-pack the reviewer found, that came to about $65 a year.
Refilling requires removing the top dish or pouring slowly onto it, and the reviewer said 2.1 gallons goes quickly with a large dog. Food and hair that fall into the lower basin end up floating in the full tank until it is cleaned.
Noise as the tank empties
Once the water level dropped to about halfway, Pocket-lint's reviewer found the dripping and trickling louder than the air filter running in the same room, and at a quarter full he called it deafening. He never used the full capacity because of the noise, and suggested it would matter less in a laundry room or mudroom.
Strengths
- +Pocket-lint estimated the outer ring caught almost 90% of splashes and drips
- +2.1-gallon tank
- +Top dish kept hair and food out of the drinking water in Pocket-lint's testing
- +Battery backup keeps the pump running during a power cut
- +Taller than a regular bowl, which the reviewer said made it easier for his dog to reach
Watch-outs
- −Pocket-lint found the trickling very loud once the tank was half empty
- −Main filter lasts up to two weeks; the reviewer estimated about $65 a year in filters
- −Refilling means removing the top dish or pouring slowly onto it
- −Debris that reaches the lower basin floats in 2 gallons of water until it is cleaned
How it compares
At 2.1 gallons the Capsule Dog Fountain has the largest tank on this page, ahead of the 168 oz PetSafe Drinkwell Platinum and the 100 oz PetSafe Multi-Tier, and it is the only one here built around a splash guard for dogs. It has no app, unlike the Petcube Fountain and Petkit Eversweet Ultra. Pocket-lint found it loud as the water level dropped, whereas CNET found both the Petcube and the Petkit quiet.
Rating sources
Our 4.1 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
