How often do you wash food/water bowls?

[Laura & Chewie]

Might seem like a strange question, but I've been wondering. I wash Chewie's food bowl once/daily even though he eats twice a day. His water bowl I'm always rinsing out and I put both of them in the dishwasher whenever I run it, but that's only every couple days. Then I started thinking, I wouldn't eat dinner out of the same bowl I ate my breakfast without washing it, but then again, I don't lick it clean...LOL.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I was just reading about other issues on the Food Group and just wanted to present a question?
Does anyone know if some of the stomach upsets and diarreha or general gastointestinal issues dogs get have anything to do with the molds, germs, bacterias that can be growing in their food bowls?
Yes they lick butts and eat poop, etc, but are there some natural or good bacterias that their systems are born to handle? Whereas things that are made, handled, prepared, and cleaned or NOT cleaned by humans, different bacterias that are more difficult for their bodies to tolerate?

Just a thought. What ya think?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I seriously doubt this. I think dogs have pretty sturdy GI tracts as long as they eat what they should but they often eat "human food". Truly moldy food is certainly bad for them and can be lethal in some cases -see Danger group. I think that washing bowls when they are dirty should suffice and with dry food that can be every day or so.

[Diane Denney]

I wash their bowls once a day, and throw them in the dishwasher any time I run it. I've thought the same thing before too. My dogs don't seem to have gastric upset too often that I can tell. It would probably be better if I washed them after each meal.

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

We put all of their bowls in the dishwaher every night. Their water bowls usually get rinsed at least once a day, as they get dirt in them. Their food bowls get hand washed before their evening meal. We use stainless steel bowls.