Care Corner: Food Bowl Safety

That little unassuming food bowl in the corner of the kitchen that your dog or cat eats out of may be doing more harm than you think. Every day you feed your pet and place that food in a bowl. But are you handling the food properly? When was the last time you cleaned that bowl? Mishandling pet food and food bowls can lead to bacterial contamination–and both could harm pets and their people.

Why It’s Important

Taking care of your pet’s food dish as well as the way you handle the food is an important step in keeping the whole household healthy. A recent study reported by CNN reveals that found that pet food dishes ranked highly among the most contaminated household objects and may even have bacterial loads close to those of toilets!

A dirty pet food dish could breed bacteria like E.coli and Salmonella, which could lead to diarrhea and other health-related issues. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Animal Health Literacy Campaign notes that if food is left in pet bowls too long, microbes could develop and lead to illness in those who come in contact with it. To help minimize risks, it recommends washing and drying pet dishes, scoops and storage containers prior to refiling them. Taking precautions like these can help keep everyone healthy.

Check Out These Resources

Visit our Care Corner web page for more information on the best way to handle your pet’s food and dishes.

What You Can Do To Help

Phinney’s believes in keeping people and their beloved pets together. We do this by extending a helping hand to pet parents in need when these emergency vet visits become too costly for some to afford. Ways you can help include donating to Phinney’s or volunteering.  And, anyone in need of help in caring for their pets can visit our Get Help page for more information.