Do You Wash Your Pet’s Water Bowls?
Cleaning Pet Water Bowls
Ever rub your fingers on the inside of your pet’s water bowl and you feel a slippery slime?
A study done by NSF International found that pet food bowls are the 4th germiest product found in the average home.
It’s time to clean your pet’s water bowl.
There is a collection of organic and inorganic, living and dead materials collected on the surface of your pet’s water bowls called biofilm. This is both good AND bad bacteria. Even though dogs and cats constantly lick their bowls clean, that doesn’t substitute for cleaning your pet’s food and water dish after every meal.
What should you do?
- Wash and scrub both the water and food dishes with hot water and soap.
- Running them through the hottest cycle of the dishwasher to get them clean and sterilized is the best method.
Stainless steel or heavy plastic “crock-style” dishes are best for frequent cleaning: They last forever. Fortunately, cleaning pet water bowls is easy with stainless steel bowls which are simple to clean and sanitize, and their nonporous surface helps keep bacteria away.
According to the Dog Lab here are some rules,
- Dog bowl with dry food – If you feed with kibble, your dog’s bowl should be washed daily, after the final meal of the day.
- Dog bowl with wet food – If you feed with canned food or raw meat, your dog’s bowl should be washed and sanitized after every meal.
- Dog bowl with water – Your dog’s water bowl should be washed once per day.
- Dog mat – If you use a mat to protect your floor or carpet from spills, then that too should be cleaned daily.
Grab your dish soap!
In addition to this post, for additional pet safety tips see:
How to Hydrate a Cat
https://portlandpetstores.com/category/health-safety/