Owners all want their pets to live long, healthy lives, but sometimes they make mistakes that can negatively impact their pet’s health. A vet has taken to TikTok to share some simple changes you can make to improve your pet’s overall wellbeing.
Amanda Cern, who claims to have 13 years of veterinary experience, advises pet owners to switch their dog’s food bowl to stainless steel to “minimise bacteria from spreading”.
This advice comes in the wake of a study revealing that not washing your dog’s food bowl regularly could harm both your pet and you. The research, conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), examined dog owners’ feeding habits and assessed the impact of FDA hygiene protocols on dog food dish contamination.
They discovered that only 12% of the 417 dog owners surveyed wash their dog’s dish daily, 22% clean it once a week, while another 18% wash it every three months or not at all. According to the FDA, this “poses significant health risks to pets and pet owners” as it creates an environment conducive to harmful bacteria like salmonella and listeria.
Both these bacteria can cause symptoms such as diarrhoea, fever, stomach cramps or pain, and nausea in humans, with more severe symptoms in pregnant women, children, adults over 65, and those with weakened immune systems.
A recent study has revealed concerning statistics about dog owners’ food storage and preparation habits, with 43 per cent storing dog food within 1.5 meters of human food, only 34 per cent washing their hands after feeding, and 33 per cent using human food prep surfaces for dog food.
The study states: “It was found that the vast majority of study dog owners were not aware of and did not follow FDA pet food handling and storage guidelines. Response to individual recommendations varied, however hygiene-related handling practices (washing of hands, bowl and utensil) showed overall low levels of compliance.”
It also notes: “Additionally, studies in humans regarding self-reported handwashing show an overestimation of hygiene and similar forces, including the effects of social desirability bias, could be expected in this study.”
Highlighting the risks, the report adds: “Exposure to contaminated dog food can have implications for canine and human health. For example, there have been multiple outbreaks of both humans and dogs becoming ill after exposure to dog food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria.”
The dangers are particularly acute in homes with children or immunocompromised individuals, which accounted for over a third of the households surveyed.
A user commented on the issue, saying: “I prefer ceramic bowls or glass bowls. We eat out of those as humans so I don’t see why it’s not good for my babies. However, I always make sure there are no cracks.”
Another pet owner waded into the debate, commenting, “My dog eats very quickly so I had to buy a spiral bowl to slow down its eating. However, it’s made entirely of plastic.” Echoing the concern for pet welfare, a third user shared: “I’ve always used stainless steel for water and ceramic for food.”
