Dogs bowl, what’s reasonable?

[dogsbowl]

Terribly exciting topic, I know! The vet asked me how often I wash the dogs water bowl and I said it goes through the dishwasher on its own once a week. He said that was really not enough and it should be done every day. So do you?

The dishwasher sterilises everything doesn't it? I put the dog's eating bowl in it every few days, he eats dry biscuits.

The water bowl gets swished out daily, but I must remember to properly wash it more often.

Water bowl never really gets washed properly. I just tip out the water every day and fill it with fresh water. He prefers drinking from puddles in the garden anyway.

Stainless steel food bowl - goes in the dishwasher about once a week. My previous dog lived to 13.5 years despite my mucky ways 😊

Cat food bowl daily, water bowl changed a couple of times per week, just in case he prefers clean indoor drinking water to every single bowl and saucer in the garden that tastes of bird and algae.

Oh dear, seems that I am awful. I can’t say I ever wash the dogs food or water bowls. And I feed them Aldi kibble. They are both thriving.

I wash my lovely 13 year old dog's water and food bowl occasionally. I feel there's no need for supreme hygiene given:

. She'll eat cat poo if she ever gets near a deposit (old or fresh)
. She'll drink from any muddy puddle anywhere when she gets the chance
. She will roll in fox poo if she ever gets the chance and then lick herself clean
. She love to test out the bird droppings by the bird feeders.
. She gets extremely muddy on walks and will lick the mud clean afterwards.

A vet once told me that a dog's intestines are very simple and effective WRT to in then out - I agree with that view!

Mine is the same

I scrub their food bowls every time they're fed and once a week I use baby bottle sterilising tablets in them. I scrub their water bowl out about twice a week - it does get slimy if you're not careful and I'd assume that's bacteria building.

Cat's water in the bowl changed twice a day after a quick swish under a running tap but washed every few days with soap.
I used to have those water fountains for pets, stupid things. Even with taking it apart every day for a thorough clean and putting in filtered water, it still stank like a pond after a few weeks. I think because too much plastic. Shame because the cat loved em.

Edit -food bowls in hot soapy water after each meal.

Oh dear... Your vet would be beside themselves with me!

Ok the dogs food bowl got washed ummm when I thought it might need it. Definitely not daily or weekly probably not even monthly. She more or less cleaned it herself by licking it clean. (Plastic)

Cats mushy food bowls get a swipe off every morning but again that's mostly to get the crusties off. They go in the dishwasher probably once a month.

Cat's dry food bowls almost never get fully washed as they free feed and we just keep adding food. (ceramic and stainless steel).

Old water dish- when we had the dog + 3 cats the water dish would be scrubbed once every few months or when I thought it looked like it needed it. It was a plastic waterfall with an 8.5L reservoir tank and filters. The filters would get rinsed out probably weekly.

New water dish- Just the 3 cats now so they have a stainless steel fountain with a 3L reservoir tank which is soooooo much easier to clean so that I might get this one once a month but it stays so much cleaner without the dog.

I think we were posting at the same time, but they have stainless steel ones now that are so much better than the plastic ones. Less crevices and can be chucked in the dishwasher!

Food and water bowl washed every day.

Cheers, yes, we thought the same and did buy one but the pump container part and mesh filters are still made of plastic and it still stank! We used those baby bottle tabs to clean it too once or twice a week, made no difference. I've given up now after buying 4, she can slum it with her bowl or the bird bath I keep cleanish for her in the garden :-)

Your list missed this one

-Eating dead things found in the yard or on walks (maybe it was just mine)

But agree with you and your vet. Dogs can and do eat things that humans can't and they're guts are very efficient.

Dog gets a clean water bowl at least once a day. Food bowl is after every meal.

I just have lots of those generic stainless steel bowls and the dogs each get a new one every day for food and water and are then washed out afterwards.

Then once a month they all go out in the backyard and get a large splash of vinegar, topped up with water from the hose, and are left several hours and thoroughly rinsed and dried to start again. The vinegar is a natural steriliser and gets rid of the limescale that builds up in particular in the water bowls.

Once a week, in dishwasher. It only has dry kibble in it. He ages any old shit on walks, so I can’t too worked up about it.

I have a tea mug that can’t go in dishwasher and I do rinse it, but that only gets a proper wash once a week

Probably on average every few days for each of the food and water bowl.

You are quite right!

I was pondering whether or not to mention dead or alive things, but hesitated recounting the time, TRIGGER WARNING when she was a pup, she chased and caught a live squirrel just before it got high enough up the tree and promptly ate it...
We kept her shut away in the kitchen all night just in case there were any digestive consequences, but there were none. Just a sad looking pup wondering why she had been excluded for the duration...
She still remembers that tasty incident and still tries to chase squirrels but fortunately she is not so nimble these days...

😂😂

mine can only dream of catching a squirrel. He does stand at the bottom of trees and bark for them to come down.

😂😂

mine can only dream of catching a squirrel. He does stand at the bottom of trees and bark for them to come down. Hi

This is hilarious. Many dogs choose to drink out of filthy puddles, given the chance!

I'd wash them in the big snk in the utility. I'd never put a dog bowl into the dishwasher. That's foul.

I have 4 dogs multiple bowls and they get washed scrubbed maybe weekly!? They drink out of plant pots, wheelbarrows and puddles mostly!!

This but it probably wouldn’t even be as often as every week 😂 can’t believe how many people are doing it daily, my poor bastard dog 😂

Freashwatereverydsy but have never actually washed water bowl ,doggie is thriving.