Dog bowl mistake that could put your pet – and you – at risk

Pet owners are being warned about a possible risk to their dog's health lurking in their homes.

A study has found failing to wash pet food bowls can compromise your fur baby's health, including their water bowls.

Just 12 per cent of 417 dog owners surveyed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wash their dog's bowl on a daily basis. And another 22 per cent cleaned it weekly.

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18 per cent wash them once every three months or not at all.

This can cause “significant health risks to pets and pet owners” according to the regulatory agency, including creating a breeding ground for bacteria such as salmonella and listeria.

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FDA guidelines state pet food and water bowls should be washed with hot water and that pet owners maintain their own hygiene by washing their hands when cleaning with pet food bowls.

Pet owners are also being warned about pet food hygiene including proper storage, to ward off further risk.

“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,” the study authors reported.

“Response to individual recommendations varied, however hygiene-related handling practices (washing of hands, bowl and utensil) showed overall low levels of compliance.”

“Additionally, studies in humans regarding self-reported hand washing show an overestimation of hygiene and similar forces, including the effects of social desirability bias, could be expected in this study.”

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They continued: ”Proper storage of pet food and treats maintains the products' nutritional value and keeps information handy in case there's a problem.

“Proper storage also prevents your pet from getting into his own food and eating too much or getting into your cat's special diet food,” they continued.

”Proper storage of pet food and treats maintains the products' nutritional value and keeps information handy in case there's a problem.”

9honey pet expert Dr Katrina Warren adds that dog owners should refrain from feeding their pets dinner leftovers to maintain optimal health.

“[It's] really bad because you're encouraging them to come back and push for it, which can be a problem when you're out in public or if you've got visitors over,” she explained during an appearance on Today Extra.

“And importantly, you can feed them things that aren't good for them. So it's an easy way to put on weight if you're giving them fatty table scraps.”

“Cooked bones are very bad because they can choke on them. Things like onions, which are toxic for dogs, but anything that's fatty for us, like bacon and things like that, can put on weight but can also trigger bouts of pancreatitis,” Dr Katrina said.

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