Fact - how often should you clean your pet's bowls?

Dishes for cats and dogs are fraught with many dangers. It is very important to clean your pet's bowls correctly and regularly, at least 2-3 times a week, and preferably after each meal. The frequency of manipulation depends on the type of feed used. Proper care will protect you and your four-legged friend from illness and refusal to eat.

Care Rules

If you took care of an animal, you need to arrange for him proper care. A cat or dog should not be allowed to eat from dirty dishes. In food, especially perishable, microbes are planted, fly larvae are laid. In addition, it is covered with dust, particles of dirt from the paws, pet saliva. In the best case, the pet will refuse to eat from dirty dishes, and in the worst, it will get poisoned or become infected.

You need to clean your pet's bowls regularly. The frequency of processing the dishes depends on the food used and some other factors:

• If dry food is used, wash the bowl 2-3 times a week.
• Used natural food and canned food - after each meal.
• Water tank - 1 time per day.
• The bowl is on the street - 2-3 times a day.
• Several dogs or cats eat from the bowl at once - 2-3 times a day.

Even if during this time the food was not eaten, you do not need to feel sorry for it. Treating a pet will be much more expensive. Try to calculate the right amount of feed. For each animal they are individual.

You need to clean not only bowls, but also the space around. For convenience, you can cover the area with a rubber mat. It is enough to wipe it 2-3 times a week with a solution of table vinegar, diluted in half with water.

How to wash pet bowls?

Dishes for animals are recommended to be washed separately, in a large basin or in the sink in the bathroom.

If you use a kitchen sink, then after cleaning the bowls it must be disinfected. This can be done with bleach. Add a spoon of "White" in a basin with 4 liters of water and rinse the sink.

How to wash bowls for dogs and cats?

• Manually. A sticky biofilm is formed on the dishes of animals, which is dried saliva. To remove it, as well as dried food particles, it is recommended to pre-soak the bowls for 10-15 minutes in warm water with the addition of detergent. Then you need to rub them thoroughly with a hard sponge and rinse under running water. Rags and sponges for washing dishes of the pet should be separate.
• In the dishwasher. As already mentioned, pet bowls need to be washed separately. But loading the dishwasher makes sense if there are 10 plates and more. Select a program for normally soiled dishes. The machine will wash the bowls at a temperature of 60 degrees. With this treatment, all contaminants are eliminated and bacteria die.

Bowls with scratches must be replaced with new ones in a timely manner. Slices of food accumulate in microcracks and pathogens easily propagate.

For pets, it is preferable to use porcelain and metal dishes than plastic. It is more durable and well tolerates frequent washing.

Detergent Selection

Cleaning bowls for an animal is preferable to natural means, such as baking soda, salt, vinegar, mustard, laundry soap. They do not contain toxic substances, they are easily washed off the surface from dishes.

Chemical detergents are much more difficult to wash off. The particles may remain in the bowl and, if ingested with food, may harm the health of the pet. To avoid this, the use of aggressive detergents (for example, with chlorine) should be avoided.

• For manual cleaning of bowls, use natural cleaners or regular dishwashing detergents.
• When processing in a dishwasher, use a standard product.

In the saliva of cats and dogs - and, accordingly, in the pet's bowl - the bacteria Salmonella, E. coli, Legionella, Listeria may be contained. They can cause dangerous diseases in humans. It is important not only to clean the dishes of animals regularly, but also to prohibit children from playing with them.

Fresh high-quality food is the key to the health and longevity of a pet. But it is important that he gets to the animal from clean dishes. Leftovers quickly deteriorate at room temperature. In a dirty bowl, bacteria multiply, including those dangerous to humans. In addition, cats and dogs are very sensitive to odors. They often refuse to eat from dishes that smell bad. Remember that cleanliness is pleasant not only to you - everyone loves it!