If hand washing, place the dishes in a 1:50 bleach rinse (one cap of bleach in one gallon of water) and soak for about 10 minutes once per week. Pet dishes should be washed daily, either in a sanitizing dishwasher or scrubbed by hand with hot soapy water, then rinsed. According to a study published in a Canadian Veterinarian Journal, a hot water rinse is so ineffective it’s comparable to doing nothing at all. I thought a good scrub of hot water, with a non-soapy sponge (was it stupid of me to think my dog would taste soap in his water, when I clean my own dishes with soap but never complain about a sudsy after taste? Yes, yes it was…) was suitable. The most common form of cleaning, and the method I am embarrassed to say I most often implemented before doing some research, is the ole hot water rinse. No, I don’t think your dog will get mad cow disease, Ebola, or SARS, but we all (especially our pups!) could benefit from being a little more diligent with our dog bowl hygiene. The fat found in food is a breeding ground paradise for bacteria. And this all goes TRIPLE for our dog’s food bowls. coli) have been found in dog bowls according to the NSF study. Yeast, mold, and coliform bacteria (which includes Salmonella and E. And even if you don’t see the dreaded pink stuff, it doesn’t mean your dog’s water bowl is safe from ick. Serratia Marcescens has been known to cause infection and even pneumonia. Perhaps the most common, and certainly most recognizable is Serratia Marcescens, also known as that “pink stuff.” Plastic is not only very porous, but it can also get scratched up easily, two things that make it much easier for algae, mold, and bacteria to collect and grow.Īnd about that bacteria… it’s nazty, and your dog bowl is teeming with it. The cleanest and safest options for bowls are either stainless steel, or ceramic. You would never drink out of a glass that hasn’t been cleaned in a couple weeks, or a mug that’s been sitting on the counter for a month–actually I don’t know your life, you do you, but I do know your dog deserves better! I didn’t realize that I was cutting corners with my dog’s water bowl hygiene, and now I’m going to share the low-down and dirty news with you, so we don’t make the same mistake.(Because between you and me there’s a real simple way to improve your pup’s quality of life.)Ī 2011 study conducted by NSF International looked into the germiest, dirtiest, and grimiest places in our homes and coming in fourth place was, you guessed it, our pet’s water bowls.įirst things first, the bowl.
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