Pet Food Bowls Safety

When it comes to our pet safety, we always try to give our furry friend THE BEST products available in the market. But did you ever think about the food bowls your pet uses? I am sure you probably not as we always go for those fancy looking food bowls without giving a thought about its impact on their health. So, in addition to providing your pet with good quality food, what you are serving the food in can also affect this/her health status. So, Let’s Bowl!

Before studying this long list of different types of pet bowls that are commonly present in our home, let’s go through some quick surprising facts about pet bowls.

1. According to the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), it is found that pet bowls are the 4th most germ-filled spot in your home.
2. 65+% of pet food bowls are filled with E. coli and Salmonella bacteria even after being washed because dishwashers don’t get hot enough to kill different types of bacteria.

Types of Pet Food Bowls

• Plastic Food Bowls

The most accepted, widely used and riskiest material for pet food bowls is plastic. If you are using plastic dishes for your pet, always avoid pouring very hot water and food. These food bowls are highly porous and can easily get minor scratches that help the bacteria to cultivate. These bacteria may also cause skin irritations like feline acne in cats. If your pet has this habit of chewing plastic, you should replace his or her dinner set as plastic bowls are made up of weak elements and are easy to break as well. Ingesting chunks of sharp-edged plastic could also cause choking, internal bleeding or intestinal blockage. Some plastics also contain BPA (Bisphenol A) which can drain into your pet’s food.

• Ceramic Pet Food Bowls

When it’s about visual elegance, Ceramic pretty bowls always hold the first position. Available in the different array of colors, shapes, sizes, and patterns, these food bowls are free from bacteria cultivation but contain lead. Lead, being a harmful toxic for the living beings, can cause different health problems such as organ damage, impaired vision and hearing, stunted growth, impaired motor function, cancer, and reproductive complications. These bowls are also easy to break under high pressure and extremely high temperature. Pet owners should make sure or inspect the bowls for cracks and chips regularly as even a small fragment of the broken bowl may cause injury.

• Silicone Dog Food Bowls

Emerging as the alternative in the dog bowl’s industry, Silicone Dog Bowls are toxic-free, rubber-like, temperature-resistant, cracks-free and high strength products that also feature space-saving properties due to its fold-able properties. Yes! They are best for traveling purposes as they occupy very less space. These bowls are also radiations-free.

• Stainless Steel Pet Food Bowls

The safest and the most preferred bowls are of stainless steel. The reason for being so popular? They are highly durable, resistant to bacterial buildup, easy to clean, affordable, non-leaching, rust-resistant and a lot more. Never purchase food bowls that are made in Asian countries like India and China as they contain a significant amount of lead and other radioactive materials. Today’s Veterinary Business recommends WeatherTech Pet Food Bowls because they are “the first pet product to meet human standards for quality, performance and material safety.”

	Plastic	Ceramic	Silicone	Stainless Steel
Harbors Harmful Bacteria	Yes	Yes	No	No
BPA	Yes	No	No	No
Phthalates	Yes	No	No	No
Lead	No	Yes	No	No
Harmful Chemicals	No	Yes	No	Yes(in low quality)
Material/Design Flow	No	No	Yes	No
Radiations	No	No	No	Yes

At TAILored Pet Services, We do take care of your pets and their belongings. We always clean their food bowls before and after serving the meals. To know more, please check our cat sitting or overnight page.