Thursday, May 22, 2014

The Importance of Washing Your Dog's Bowl

   You don’t eat from dirty dishes, so why should your dog?  We know to refresh their drinking water throughout the day.  We know to feed them on a schedule.  That is just
part of being a responsible pet parent.  It is easy to simply dump out the old water and fill it up with fresh.  After you give them their food, it is usually time to go outside for a potty break.  Before you realize it, it is time to change their water or feed them again.  It’s the same routine day after day.  Oops, you forgot to wash out their bowls…again.  They are staring at you and eagerly awaiting their bowls to be set down.  It won’t hurt to wash them later.  You’ll remember, right?  Maybe not and before you know it, they have been eating and drinking out of bowls that haven’t been washed in a week.
   Does it really matter to your dog if the bowl is a little yucky around the edges?  After all, this is the same dog that you’ve seen drink out of the toilet and eat disgusting things in the yard!  The truth is that even if they don’t care, you should.  According to the NSF
"This is how I prefer to dine."
Thanks to Meet The Furbombers for this
great photo!
(National Sanitation Foundation) ranking, our dog’s bowls are the fourth dirtiest spot in our home.  Not only can it make for a dirty area, but also the bowls can harbor bacteria, salmonella, and fungus.  If your pet eats wet dog food, it is very important to wash the bowl after every meal. 
   Your dog is adorable, but some of them have rather gross habits.  If they happen to lick their feet or more private parts before drinking, those germs are transferred to the water.  They eat their food and then drink some water.  You’ve probably seen bits of food floating around in the dish after they quench their thirsts.  This can cause a slimy residue to begin forming.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  Washing their bowls doesn’t have to be a big ordeal.  There are several ways that you can make sure your best friend is healthy and drinking safe and healthy.
1.                  You can hand wash their bowls after every meal.  Use mild dish soap and make sure that you rinse it thoroughly.
2.                 You can put them in the dishwasher.  If you use plastic bowls, be sure to put them on the top rack so they don’t melt.
3.                 A homemade cleanser will work well.  Mix Baking soda, warm water, and salt in equal parts to form a paste.  Scrub the bowls in a circular motion, washing both the inside and outside.
4.                 The NSF recommends soaking the bowls for 10 minutes with one part bleach and warm water.  *Follow this with a complete washing and rinsing.
5.                 Disposable dog bowls and bowl liners are also available from pet stores.

Feeding time is one of your pet’s favorite parts of the day.  Let’s make sure that it is also a safe and sanitary part.



   While we are on the subject of bowls, I’d like to thank Kurgo for our new Zippy Bowl
It is a terrific waterproof bowl and is easy to carry for walks and other outings.  I have several travel bowls but this one is really unique.  It folds up in an easy to carry zippered pouch.  When opened, it is capable of holding up to 48 oz. of water or can be used as a food bowl.  There is a handy clip to attach it to your leash or belt loop.  I love the handsome pouch and it is extremely lightweight.  We used it earlier this week when we took Bentley out for a photo shoot.  It was easy to wash and let dry then, with a quick fold it is ready to store for the next outing.  If you are looking for a travel dish, this is definitely one to buy.



This is Thoughtless Thursday’s Blog Hop hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Love is being owned by a Husky.  Visit these other thoughtless bloggers or join by clicking the Thoughtless Thursday icon below.

22 comments :

  1. Such an important topic. I have to admit that I am guilty of not always providing that sparkling clean bowl for Ruckus. THANKS for the reminder and thanks for sharing on Thoughtless Thursday!

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  2. VERY important topic and many people do not always wash their pets' bowls. I am a bit of a nut about washing the girls' dishes!! They are white...and bacteria has a habit of turning in to ugly stains!! Thanks for the reminder!!

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  3. Hello hello! Hope you had a great trip home from BlogPaws. Yes, washing bowls is so important especially with a mini pig that mixes his dry food in his water - yuck!

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  4. That's very important, I agree. My bowls land in the dishwasher every day, because there is always a whole meadow and a lot of dirt inside when I need a drink while digging my tunnels :o)

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  5. Oh you got your Kurgo bowl? We haven't got ours yet, I was beginning to wonder!
    It is definitely important to wash our pets dishes. I will admit, I am guilty of letting it slide once or twice, but I am usually pretty good. We feed dry, but still.
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!Great post, very informative!

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  6. We agree a very important topic. Mine is washed after every meal and my water bowl once a day. Have a tremendous Thursday,
    Best wishes Molly.

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  7. I was just thinking about this as I washed all the bowls this morning!

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  8. Yes, that is so important. We get our kitty bowls cleaned twice each day and even our feral kitties get theirs cleaned twice each day too.

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  9. I admit to be a little neglectful in this area, but will try to be more diligent. Thanks for the reminder!

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  10. We feed raw so I am methodical about washing out their food bowls. After Delilah has inspected them to insure no food remains, I pick them up, wash them with warm soapy water and rinse them well. I'm not so good with the water bowl. If I had to guess, I'd say it gets washed out about once a week. Truthfully I never really gave the water bowl much thought, but I will do better with this!!

    As for the travel bowl, that holds a lot of water!! I have a couple and they are lovely. Our dogs will also drink from a water bottle, water bottle/travel bowl as long as they drink, right?

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  11. Dog Dad washes all our water bowls (they are scattered through out the house) every morning.

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  12. I have a glass dog bowl to help germs not stick to them. I admit I don't wash their food dish often. They spend about 3 minutes licking it clean after they eat. I know that is not enough to "keep it clean" though so I should probably wash them once in a while :) I wipe out their water bowl each time I fill it and wash that about once a week.

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  13. ours get washed after every meal.

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  14. thanks for this super impawtant tip! Dad is often BAD about washing my bowl regularly and this MUST CHANGE! We have that Kurgo bowl too but have yet to try it, might give it a go this weekend!

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  15. With so many of us, we don't have to drink out of a dirty bowl often. Jan has to constantly fill our water bowls. Especially when It's muddy outside and Marcus has been playing soccer. His face is encrusted in mud which he deposits in the water bowl.

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  16. We don't get our food bowls washed after every meal, but Mom pops them in the dishwasher whenever she lets it run. She cleans the water bowls each time she refills them. Dirty bowls just are not right.

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  17. I often neglect to wash the water bowl. I change the water, but don't always wash the bowl. I love that you featured collapsible bowls. I can always use more of them for any road trips we take.

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  18. I just wash with soap and water and sometimes I do neglect that water bowl. I need to wash it more

    retro rover

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  19. I bet there are LOTS of parts of our house that are dirtier than my bowls. Neither momma nor dad are great housekeepers, but they make sure I have clean bowls. Mom just bought me two extra bowls and they wash them in the dishwasher. We use stainless steel bowls because they're easy to wash and sanitize.

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  20. I'll admit, I used to be terrible at washing Nailah's dishes. Now that I moisten her food with water at dinner time I wash her bowl every day. I need to get better about the water dish though. :(

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  21. Great post! I fail at washing them after each meal :( will get on track.

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  22. This is a great reminder. I'm guilty of not doing it daily...but when I am running the dishwasher I do put them in there. We also sometimes have more than one bowl so we can grab a clean one if the others haven't been washed. But a couple got broken so I need to get more now.
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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