A Suspect Killer : What Is In Your Dog's Water Bowl?

Ironically enough they drink nasty ass rain water that pools in low spots outside. I do clean their bowls regularly, though I wasn't aware that so many bacteria could be present in their water bowls, so thanks for that informative post!
 
Personally, stainless steel drinking bowls rather than plastic which picks up scratches for the nasties to reside in over time, and a thorough daily cleaning regime or better with an antibacterial handwash and near boiling water then a soft sponge/cloth after cooling.
Never used dishwashers here: a commercial dishwater might be hot enough for long enough to more fully sanitize, but many domestic dishwaters are possibly a bit on the cool side.

An occasional spray of buffered dilute hypochlorous acid - part of the body's natural defense mechanism - and is dirt cheap if bought in bulk helps deal with any residual biofilm and will kill Covid-19 as a bonus (hint, also use as nose-spray, gargle, etc. ; )
 
You should use stainless steel bowls too. Plastic or wooden bowls collect bacteria easily. I wash my dog's bowls daily just like I do with my own dishes.
 
I prefer stainless steel bowls also. Not only do they not collect bacteria as easily, but chemicals from the plastic can leach into the water. If you use stainless tho make sure if the bowl is outside that it is in the shade, or else the water just gets extremely hot. I also give them a quick wash when I fill them up and run them through the dishwasher at least once a week.
 
Ironically enough they drink nasty ass rain water that pools in low spots outside. I do clean their bowls regularly, though I wasn't aware that so many bacteria could be present in their water bowls, so thanks for that informative post!
Yeah I've seen them drink out of (deep) murky pools that have been standing long in the warmth long enough to start forming algae on top so I think drinking bowls are probably the least of their concern.
Whether one should prevent them from drinking out of a murky pool is another thing I guess.
 
When you clean the bowl and feel it's slimy, it's pretty intuitive to do it more often. I mean, I wouldn't drink water from a slimy bowl, so...

Ironically enough they drink nasty ass rain water that pools in low spots outside.

Damn right, I'm trying to tell her she shouldn't but it is being interpreted as "I PROBABLY shouldn't when you are around". She does that anyway sometimes.
 
Damn right, I'm trying to tell her she shouldn't but it is being interpreted as "I PROBABLY shouldn't when you are around". She does that anyway sometimes.
I have buckets under my roofline which I collect rainwater in for watering my plants (I don't have gutters); I don't mind them drinking out of those buckets since it's off the ground and generally clean. However, I too have that issue of them drinking straight off the ground sometimes. I know generally animals are supposed to have some kind of sixth sense about what water source is good and what is not, but I think because we've domesticated them for so long it kind of dulled their senses. And like that old saying goes, "While the parents are away the children will play"... seems to apply to our dogs too :LOL:
 
So a lot of people will fill the boul and put it down without a thought. Now, this can be fine. I ask the question though what happens if you do this constantly over a period of time. What a lot of people don't realize is that if you never or sparsely clean the water boul it will start to build bacteria, algae, and sometimes an oozing clear slime. This my friends are called a Biofilm and it's a common slime that’s poisoning your loved ones. So what is contained in these biofilms?
  • Serratia marcescens (the pink film you see in bowls, shower curtains, and other wet areas)
  • E.coli
  • Candida albicans
  • Chlamydia pneumoniae
  • Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease)
  • Clostridium difficile (the most common cause of human GI infection and a growing epidemic)
  • Clostridium perfringens
  • Helicobacter pylori (causes human stomach ulcers and gastritis)
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae
  • Legionella pneumophila
  • Listeria monocytogenes
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa
  • Salmonella typhimurium
  • Staphylococcus aureus
  • Staphylococcus epidermidis
  • Vibrio cholerae (some strains cause the disease cholera)
  • and many more (including those causing diverse chronic, debilitating human illnesses)

The fact that we can prevent major health conditions in our pets simply by keeping their bowls and toys clean and sterile is sobering. It’s a little bit of effort for such a large return! So friends remember to keep the water bouls clean to keep our loved ones safe and happy!
I had a mastiff. Just refilling is not an option.
 
My intuition informed me the slime is dirty and good to wash. I wasn't aware of the names of bacteria and how serious it could be. Now I know thank you :)
 
Thanks for spreading helpful info that could save a dogs life. Wash them food and water bowls regularly. Always use metal bowls. Just because dogs choose to drink out of dirty puddles that doesn't mean they should. If you have a drooly dog or multiple dogs, change that water frequently throughout the day. 💦💦💦💦💦💦💦🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
 
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