Why Pet Water Bowl Hygiene is Crucial for Your Pet’s Health

This pet health content was written by a veterinarian, Dr. Pippa Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS. It was last reviewed on August 7, 2024

Importance of Keeping Your Pet Water Bowl Clean

Are you the queen of clean, or is your kitchen quietly chaotic?

In the context of hygiene, pet water bowls are definitely a situation where it's good to be queen-of-clean. Unfortunately, bowls are a hot spot of risk — our pets can infect people with bugs and parasites. Best to keep them clean, no? Key Reasons to Maintain Pet Water Bowl Hygiene:

• Prevent Infections: Regular cleaning reduces the risk of zoonotic diseases.
• Minimize Parasite Risk: Dirty bowls can harbor parasites like worms.
• Ensure Pet Health: Clean bowls contribute to your pet's overall well-being.
• Protect Human Health: Prevents cross-contamination to humans.

Understanding the Risks of a Dirty Pet Water Bowl

Where Do the Bugs Come From?

A disease that normally infects an animal but poses a risk to people is known as a "zoonosis." The most common zoonoses with regard to food and water bowls are: Salmonella Campylobacter Worms

These bugs have different mechanisms of causing infection, but they can all be shed into the environment through feces and travel indoors on the pet’s paws or coat. When your pet licks its fur and then eats from a pet water bowl, this can spread infection onto an object you touch. When you pick up the bowl, you get that same bug on your hands. Important considerations about the risks:

• Salmonella: The food itself may contain bacteria, with raw meat and eggs posing a special risk.
• Cross-contamination: Bugs can be transferred from your pet to you, especially when handling their bowls.
• Increased Risk with Raw Diets: Feeding a raw diet to your pet increases the risk of salmonella due to lack of thorough cooking.

Maintaining proper pet water bowl hygiene is crucial to minimizing these risks and ensuring the health and safety of both your pet and your household.

Best Practices for Pet Food and Water Bowl Hygiene

Food Hygiene

Knowing raw meat could contain salmonella should make you think twice about where you store it. Here are some essential tips for maintaining food hygiene:

• Refrigerate Properly: Raw meat should be refrigerated below 40° F to slow down the growth of contaminating bacteria. Avoid storing raw meat or any pet food immediately beside human food. Make sure it's securely wrapped and placed in a different section of the fridge whenever possible.
• Avoid Room Temperature: The longer food sits in the open at room temperature, the greater the chance of bacterial contamination and multiplication. Serve only the portion your pet can eat in one go to prevent food from being left out.
• Portion Control: Buy packs of moist food in smaller sizes so you can throw unopened food away rather than store open sachets for days.

For more information on the risks of raw meat, check out this article on raw pet food.

Safest Ways to Wash Your Pet’s Food and Water Bowls

How to Properly Clean Pet Water Bowls

To ensure your pet’s water bowl is clean and safe, follow these steps:

• Daily Washing: Wash the bowls every day. Rinse them under running water and either hand-wash in hot soapy water or place them on the top rack of the dishwasher (so the dishwasher's heat doesn’t melt plastic dishes).
• Hand-Washing Tips: When hand-washing, do the pet’s dishes last, using a separate sponge or scourer kept just for the pet’s things. Make the water as hot as you can stand without burning yourself and use liquid or detergent soap. Rinse them well — your pets won’t enjoy a soapy aftertaste, and there’s a slim chance it could make them ill.
• Multiple Sets: 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.

Other Safety Measures

• Separate Utensils: Always keep separate utensils for the pet’s food, such as serving spoons, forks, or scoops. Never use the pet’s things (toys, bowls, etc.) as a scoop.
• Hand Washing: Some pets can carry salmonella and campylobacter without showing symptoms. These bacteria can get onto the pet’s coat and then onto your hands when you stroke them. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap for at least 20 seconds after stroking any animal and always before eating. This is especially important for children to learn.

For more information on dealing with pet tummy upsets, check out this article on vomiting and diarrhea in dogs and cats. To learn about the importance of washing your hands, visit this article on roundworms and children.

4 Ways Your Dog's Water Bowl Can Make Them Sick

How much do you think about your pet’s water bowl? Did you know that the dog’s drinking bowl is the third most germ-laden place in the house—after the toilet bowl and the kitchen sink?

We all know clean, fresh water is vital for good health. With this in mind, you probably top up the bowl every time it goes down. However, merely topping up the water level does nothing to control harmful bacteria or toxins lurking in the pet water bowl. Not only are these bugs unpleasant, but they can also cause illness in people, especially those with weak immune systems.

Common Contaminants in Pet Water Bowls:

Giardia

• Treatment: Diagnosed via fecal sample examination and treated with a 3- to 10-day course of fenbendazole (Panacur) or metronidazole.
• This single-celled parasite, also known as "traveler’s diarrhea," can infect both pets and people.
• Survival: Giardia is shed in feces inside a hardy oocyst that thrives in warm, humid conditions and water.
• Symptoms: Some dogs show no symptoms, while others may develop sickness, weight loss, and diarrhea from drinking contaminated water from their pet water bowl.

Cryptosporidium

• Similar to giardia but tougher, surviving even chlorine treatment.
• Infection: Passed in feces and can infect animals and birds through water, including water in a pet water bowl.
• Treatment: Fenbendazole or metronidazole, with bathing and shampooing on the last day to prevent reinfection.

Giardia

• This single-celled parasite, also known as "traveler’s diarrhea," can infect both pets and people.
• Survival: Giardia is shed in feces inside a hardy oocyst that thrives in warm, humid conditions and water.
• Symptoms: Some dogs show no symptoms, while others may develop sickness, weight loss, and diarrhea from drinking contaminated water from their pet water bowl.
• Treatment: Diagnosed via fecal sample examination and treated with a 3- to 10-day course of fenbendazole (Panacur) or metronidazole.

Cryptosporidium

• Similar to giardia but tougher, surviving even chlorine treatment.
• Infection: Passed in feces and can infect animals and birds through water, including water in a pet water bowl.
• Treatment: Fenbendazole or metronidazole, with bathing and shampooing on the last day to prevent reinfection.

Leptospirosis

• For more details on leptospirosis, visit The Unpredictable Nature of Leptospirosis.
• A serious infection with potential to cause acute liver and kidney failure.
• Symptoms: Fever, muscle weakness, blood in urine, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and collapse.
• Transmission: Spread by rat urine and loves standing water sources, including a neglected pet water bowl.
• Prevention: Yearly vaccines are available, but pets can pass lepto to people. If you or your pet show symptoms, seek urgent medical attention.

Blue-Green Algae

• Also known as cyanobacteria, these toxin-producing bacteria can affect any mammal, causing nerve and liver damage.
• Symptoms: Weakness, muscle tremors, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, breathing difficulties, collapse, and death.
• Treatment: There is no antidote; treatment involves stomach rinsing and supportive care with intravenous fluids.
• For more information, see The Dangers of Toxic Algae.

So don't let your dog swim in dirty water or drink from containers of "old" water—always provide them with fresh water in a clean pet water bowl. Properly maintaining your pet water bowl is essential for their health and well-being.

The Dangers of Biofilms on Your Pet's Water Bowl

Biofilms on Your Pet's Water Bowl Are Bad

Does your dog or cat have a stainless steel pet water bowl? Next time you rinse the bowl under the tap, look for that misty, smoky layer covering the metal.

If you can’t see it, try wiping your finger across the wet metal surface. If your fingertip leaves a clean streak in its path, then you’re looking at a biofilm.

A biofilm is defined as: “A thin but robust layer of mucilage adhering to a solid surface and containing a community of bacteria and other microorganisms.” Essentially, a biofilm is a thin layer of stickiness rich in bacteria that coats a surface.

• Visual Check: Rinse the bowl and look for a misty, smoky layer or wipe your finger across the wet surface to check for a clean streak.
• Biofilm Definition: A robust layer of mucilage containing bacteria and other microorganisms.
• Personal Experience: Similar to the unpleasant stickiness you feel on your teeth when you skip brushing.
• Health Risk: Water in contact with a biofilm becomes a weak bacterial soup, challenging your pet's immune system.
• Vulnerable Pets: Young, elderly, or pets on immune-suppressive drugs are at higher risk of illness. For more information on immune-suppressive drugs, visit this article on immune-mediated thrombocytopenia.

Properly maintaining your pet water bowl by cleaning it regularly is essential to prevent biofilm buildup and ensure your pet's health.

The Problems with Plastic Pet Water Bowls

Plastic Bowls Are Pretty Terrible

Plastic bowls have more than their fair share of problems when it comes to drinking water.

• Easily Scratched: The plastic surface is easily scratched, providing inviting nooks and crannies for bugs to hide in.
• Chemical Composition: Plastic bowls are made of chemicals. One of these, p-benzyl hydroquinone, inhibits the production of melanin (dark pigment).
• BPA Risks: BPA, a chemical that hardens plastic, can interfere with the production of natural hormones in the body.

In short: Ditch the plastic pet water bowls! Opt for safer alternatives to ensure your pet's health and well-being.

The Hidden Dangers of Ceramic Pet Water Bowls

Micro-Cracks Lurk in Ceramic Bowls

Surely, a good, heavy-duty ceramic pet water bowl is better, right? Yes and no.

• Lead Concerns: Ceramic bowls aren’t regulated in terms of what goes into making them. There is concern that some originating from China contain lead, a toxic substance that causes destruction of red blood cells and nerve damage. For more information on the dangers of lead, visit this article on lead poisoning in pets.
• Micro Fractures: The glaze on a ceramic bowl is subject to micro fractures, known as "crazing," which can be seen on a microscopic level.

In summary, while ceramic pet water bowls may seem like a better option, the potential for lead contamination and biofilm formation due to micro-cracks makes them less ideal than one might think.

Why Stainless Steel Pet Water Bowls Are the Best Choice

Stainless Steel Is Best

When it comes to pet water bowls, the hands-down winner is stainless steel. Here’s why:

• Durability: Stainless steel bowls are resistant to scratches and nicks, making them less likely to harbor bacteria compared to plastic or ceramic bowls.
• Easy to Clean: They are easy to clean and do not leach harmful chemicals into your pet's water.

However, the benefits of stainless steel pet water bowls are only realized if they are washed regularly, preferably on a daily basis.

• Daily Cleaning Routine: Get into the habit of washing your dog’s water bowl daily, preferably with hot, soapy water or by putting it through the dishwasher.
• Preventing Biofilm: Even stainless steel can build up a biofilm if not washed properly. Don’t be tempted to merely top up the water level—this is feeding the bacterial soup.
• Optimal Health: For optimal health for your pets—and your family—choose stainless steel. Empty the bowl daily, wash it with hot, soapy water, rinse, and fill with fresh water.

Maintaining proper pet water bowl hygiene with stainless steel ensures the health and well-being of your pets and minimizes the risk of contamination.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)