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.

[Tamara & Giada]

I'm with you Adina.........I think they can handle the germs. After all they do lick themselves.

I wash them once a week with dry kibble and always right after the wet food they get once aweek.

[Jeannine]

I wash their food bowls after their breakfast and dinner. I do our dishes so it is not much to do theirs. I wash their water bowl in the morning before changing the water and after supper. All my cats (3) also drink in the same bowl as the "girls". I, too, dry their bowl after washing it. I never thaught of the mold, but just make sure it is no more soap in. Now I have another reason to dry it.

[Debra Ference-Luongo]

I wash Edgar's water bowl out once a day and rinse it when I refill it. The food bowl gets washed at least once a day depending on what he is eating. He may not mind but I sure do. Blech!

[Pat & "Tucker"]

I wash once a day and rinse well between filling. Bacteria is naturally occuring in any water- water is not sterile coming out of the faucet. Problem is, once the doodle drinks out it, the bacteria from the mouth get into the water and multiple rapidly. and the natural water organisms multiply also. You can usually feel the biofilm when you empty the bowl- this is a film that begins to develop as bacteria multiply- AKA "slime" These bacteria are not harmful in small numbers or counts but large doses of even the dogs own bacteria could cause a problem. Many bacteria are water-loving organisms!. The problem with plastic is the bacteria get stuck in the cracks and porous surface, so more difficult to get clean.
The dishwasher is also a good thing to use a few times a week after a litlle soap and water to get the "slime" off first.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

Someone sent me a private message asking if I wash bowls daily because I know something everyone else doesn't or if I am trying to prevent something...

I was daily because I am a neat freak and have a nice house and don't want dirty dishes laying around even if it is a dog bowl.

[Laura & Chewie]

That's strange...I'm sure if you knew something, you would be glad to share it.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

well~ I thought it was strange too but... well...

My dogs drink from the porcelain bowl and they do eat diapers too... I live in my house with my dogs and have to look at their bowls so they have to be clean : )

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I wash the dishes daily when we are in our RV because it is convenient. At home I wash food dishes when they look crusty. We feed kibble that we sometimes add water to. The water dishes get washed when they look like they need it. I figure that if you sniff butts to greet your buds, how clean does your dish need to be!

[Julie B.]

Sometimes you guys are toooo much!! LOL I do not wash my dog's bowls unless they look really dirty and I think to do it. For god sakes, they eat animal poop, they drink out of dirty puddles, they lick each other's butts... do I need to say more. I think we can spend our time on more important things don't you??

[shelly]

Well thank goodness we're all together in this.... many "outsiders" would have thought we've gone off the deep end LOL...Could you imagine having this conversation with people who treat their dogs "as DOGS"?!

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

I do Hannah and Honey's food bowl's twice a day..after they are done with their morning meal and after they are done with their evening meal. It is really more a habit since doing dishes anyway. Water is whenever it needs during the day. I use Dawn dishwashing liquid on their bowls because it's good enough to save wild animals lives..it should be great for sanitizing them, and love the donation to wildlife. I also do my birds water dish about three to four x's a day..and her food dishes as needed throughout the day, they get so yucky, from the seed, people food and treats. I would be concerned with the spread of Giardia and other things dogs can share....since I now have three dogs it makes a huge difference because they all seem to like to share the same water/food bowls even if there are three sets of them ..one set for each.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Im with Julie B, I wash them when they look icky!!! My dog cleans her bowl after she has eaten, and one of my cats will even go and eat the crusty bits of meat left behind if shes really hungry (shes almost always hungry and a bit overweight!!!!!)
Water bowls I do scrub every few days due to the filmy scum, but dont use soap and certainly NOT bleach - I wouldnt eat/drink out of something that had been bleached, I dont use chemicals for myself, my husband or my pets.
Occasionally I will use all natural dish soap on the food bowls, especially when they have eaten raw meat.
But as others have said - dogs (and cats) do not mind.They have different bacteria than we do and can digest and kill germs we cant.