How often do you wash your dogs food and water dish?

Question

I am a first time pet owner and I only feed him dry food. I just need to know how often should I wash his dish out?

Answer 1

You are supposed to wash them daily. Bacteria from dried food and saliva get crusted on there. Would you use the same plate for a week if you licked it clean everyday?

Also you are supposed to empty the remains at the end of the day and not use "leftovers". If you wash your pets dishes before bed they have time to dry before morning and it will also help your dog not 'go' in the house.

Go to www.purina.com for more advice and info. Here are some more tips I got from the website.

Adding human food to a nutritionally balanced commercial dog food may upset the nutrient balance of your dog’s diet. Ideally, table scraps should not be fed. You may also be creating behavior problems. Your dog may begin to steal food from the table or the food preparation area. Try feeding your dog at regularly scheduled times, such as when the family is having breakfast or dinner. Feed only enough to maintain your dog in good body condition. Ignore its coaxing for additional food, or give hugs instead.

Here are some of the foods to watch out for:

Milk is a food and not a substitute for water.
Repeatedly adding raw eggs to a dog's diet can cause a deficiency of the vitamin biotin, which can lead to dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), loss of hair and poor growth.
Some raw fish can cause a deficiency of the vitamin thiamine. Signs of a thiamine deficiency include anorexia (complete loss of appetite), abnormal posture, weakness, seizures and even death.
Raw meats may contain parasites and bacteria and do not contain a proper balance of nutrients if fed alone. Although meat is a source of protein, it has very low levels of calcium, a mineral dogs require for proper bone and tooth development. If large quantities of raw meat are fed over time, skeletal problems may develop.
Raw liver, fed daily in large quantities, can cause vitamin A toxicity in dogs.
Small soft bones (such as pork chop or chicken bones) should never be given to your dog, as they may splinter and lodge in his mouth or throat

Answer 2

For food it won't need to washed like a normal plate, they can withstand a lot harsher germs than us. especially with dry food only. Just give it little wash periodically if you like but you'll find your dog will be fine regardless.

For a water dish, everytime I fill it up i give it a fill up & throw away to rinse it out and give it a run around with a cloth or your hand to get rid of anything around the bowl (think a dirty ring left in a bath).

Hope this helps

Answer 3

Food dish gets washed once a week (dry food, often we don't see the bottom of the bowl before it is filled again).

Water dish gets put through the dishwasher daily. We have two water bowls and switch them out.

Answer 4

Actually, it really depends on the material and dog's eating habit, my dog kind of cleans the food bowl all by herself, so I rinse it before each meal, then wash it once a week. If your dog doesn't finish the food, then you would have to wash away the stale food daily. As for the water bowl, i do it 3 - 4 weeks. It's stainless steel, so it doesn't get dirty much.

Answer 5

You should wash your dog's dish, once a week if you have dry food. If you use canned food, than after each feeding. Canned food can get dried up and stck to the bowl. Making it hard to clean.

Answer 6

I wash my dogs water and food dishes every day. They get slimy and quite frankly even if you feed dry food the dog still licks the bowl.

Answer 7

I generally wash out my dog's dry food bowl at least twice per week. If he gets a special treat of little champions or something like that, then I wash it out as soon as he's done. Just trying to keep everything clean! I don't think it really matters as long as you do it at least once a week. You don't want your dog to eat out of a cruddy bowl.

Answer 8

We have 3 dogs and their dishes are washed out weekly.

Answer 9

You should do it everyday. It only takes 2 minutes. Change the water daily too. That's what I do. You never know what can land in the bowl or water dish.

Answer 10

Clean its food and water bowl weekly. Or as required if the food bowl is empty and needs filling then give it a clean first.
As for the water bowl at least do it weekly, i do my dogs bowl every other day as other wise they are in effect drinking dirty water which isn't good for anyone!