Most Owners Don’t Wash Their Dog’s Bowl Enough

As a pet owner, we want to make sure that we care for our dogs in the best way possible. We provide them with a warm place to live, a comfortable place to sleep, and of course, plenty of good, healthy food.

Perhaps that is why most people are surprised to learn about a new study that has been published in PLOS ONE.

It took a closer look at the habits of many pet owners and, in particular, how frequently dog owners washed their pet’s food bowls. They then compared their data with what was recommended by the FDA.

Their recommendation is that we should be washing our dog’s food bowl much more frequently.

417 different dog owners were part of the study and out of all of them, only 12% washed the dog food bowl on a daily basis. 22% had a weekly cleaning schedule and 18% either wash it every three months or never washed it at all.

Interestingly, 35% of those who were part of the study said that the dog food was prepared on the same surface that their own food was prepared. Over 40% wash the dishes for their pet in the same area and the dog food was stored less than 5 feet from their own food.

Emily Luisana, who was the lead author of the study, had something interesting to say on the subject. As a researcher for the North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, she is more than qualified to give advice on what we should and should not be doing with our dog’s food bowl.

She said in a press release: “Pet owners should know that pet food bowls can harbour bacteria and that recommendations exist for minimizing that risk.”

When you also weigh in what the FDA recommends, that we wash the scooping utensils and food bowls and soap and hot water after each use, we really see the problem.

The FDA goes on to advise that we don’t use the bowl to scoop the food from the container. In addition, we should be washing our hands both before and after handling the dog’s food.

What can be the consequences if we don’t follow the direction provided? Actually, it could be quite dire. Dogs may end up with some uncomfortable symptoms that include diarrhea, sickness, fever, pain, and nausea. This can come from the spread of bacteria, including salmonella and E. coli.

According to the study, most dog owners were not aware of or simply did not follow the recommendations from the FDA for handling and storage of pet food. They may have had their own personal recommendations, but their hygiene practices were lacking.

The study went on to say: “Exposure to contaminated dog food can have implications for canine and human health. For example, there have been multiple outbreaks of both humans and dogs becoming ill after exposure to dog food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. These risks may be amplified in households with children and/or immunocompromised individuals, which were over a third of respondents’ households.”

It looks like we may have some work to do. Our dogs are worth it.