How Often Should You Wash Your Dog S Water Bowl

Always keep separate utensils for the pet s food such as serving spoons forks or scoops.

How often should you wash your dog s water bowl. You also need to be aware of when your dog is drinking more water than usual as this could be a sign of illness. This can happen if your dog isn t getting enough water which is why you should clean and refill your dog s water bowl daily. Hacks for washing food and water bowls. If your water bowl is kept outside it should be cleaned more often twice daily as there is a much higher chance of contamination from insects and plant debris.

67 of pet bowls still have salmonella bacteria even after dishwasher cleaning because dishwashers don t get hot enough to kill that and several other types of bacteria. Not only should you wash your pet s food bowl with hot soapy water after every meal and wash water bowls every couple of days but william bill burkholder dvm phd dacvn and charlotte conway ms from the center for veterinary medicine at the food and drug administration or fda also recommend washing your hands with hot water and soap before and after handling. Without water your dog s body will not function properly. To clean your dog s water or food dish hand wash it with hot water and a mild non toxic dishwashing detergent.

Dog bowl with water your dog s water bowl should be washed once per day. More specifically your dog will dehydrate. 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. How to clean your pet s food and water bowl.

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. If you are unable to adequately clean your dog s food and water bowls daily there are alternative options that may make your life easier and. The national sanitation foundation nsf found pet bowls to be the fourth most germ filled place in the home. Both food and water bowls for dogs and cats can harbor a variety of germs and bacteria such as salmonella and.

You can wash their water bowl less frequently but you will need to completely empty sanitize and refill it at least once per week. Don t forget to rinse them thoroughly and allow them to dry completely before using them. The nsf also recommends placing bowls in a 1 50 water bleach dilution once per week for 10 minutes to fully disinfect bowls if a dishwasher is unavailable. Since you want to avoid cross contamination wash it somewhere other than your bathtub or kitchen sink like in your bathroom sink or a utility sink or disinfect the area where you ve washed it after you re done.

Fresh drinking water must be available for your pet at all times so have at least 2 sets of everything so you have one bowl that s clean and full of water for your pet while you are cleaning the other one. Once a week in addition to your daily washing you should let the bowls soak in dilute bleach 1 50 solution for 10 minutes to get rid of the most stubborn germs. You should wash your dog s food bowl after every meal.