Could Your Dog’s Water Bowl Make Him Sick?

Infrequent washing

If you’re like most dog owners, you just rinse and refill your dog’s water bowl once a day. After all, it’s just water. The problem is that water can harbor all sorts of pathogens. If you aren’t sanitizing the bowl every day, you’re opening your dog to the possibility of infection from things like yeast, mold, Salmonella, and E. coli.

Dog bowl material matters

The water bowl itself could also be making your dog sick. It’s more important than you realize to choose the right bowl for your dog. Here’s what you need to know about dog bowl materials.

Plastic

Plastic is the worst possible material a dog bowl could be made from. Why? Two reasons.Plastic scratches easily, and these scratches make great places for bacteria and other pathogens to cling to and reproduce. This increases the odds of your dog becoming sick.Secondly, plastic tends to release a variety of chemicals. Have you heard all the fuss about BPA in containers that hold food or water for humans, especially babies? BPA stands for Bisphenol A, a synthetic estrogen commonly found in plastic products that has been linked to problems with reproductive issues, impaired brain function, cancer, cardiovascular system damage, diabetes, early puberty, obesity, and resistance to chemotherapy in humans.

Ceramic

You probably already know about the dangers of ingesting lead. Every once in a while there are stories of children becoming ill from lead poisoning after chewing on toys made in China or elsewhere that were contaminated with lead. Did you know that there is lead in ceramic glazes?

Aluminum

Aluminum is not commonly used in dog bowls, and for good reason – aluminum can leach into food and cause cognitive dysfunction and bone damage. If aluminum is used in pots and pans for human use, it’s supposed to be anodized.

Stainless steel

Stainless steel is the safest option for dog bowls. It is easy to sanitize and unlikely to scratch or chip. Dogs are unlikely to chew on it, and there are a variety of shapes and sizes at a low price point.