Last weekend, Morgan and I swung by Canine Styles, a pet store on the UES, to pick out a dog bed for the new addition to her family, Cooper. When I ooh-ed and aah-ed over a ceramic bowl set, Morgan told me that according to her vet, dog owners should choose stainless steel over ceramic, because ceramic bowls can harbor bacteria.
I did a little research, and here’s the deal: ceramic bowls are great because they’re long-lasting and often come in very cute designs, but because they’re so porous they really do need to be sanitized in hot, soapy water daily. If they crack, toss them; bacteria is extra likely to hang out in damaged areas.
A few more tips:
– It’s best to give each dog in your family his/her own set of food and water bowls, so there’s no competition issues. Lucy and Virgil share an enormous water bowl, but they each have their own food bowl.
– Recycled plastic bowls are nice and green, but shouldn’t be given to dogs that tend to chew things; you don’t want them to ingest fragments of plastic.
– Stainless steel bowls can tip over easily, so look for weighted options with rubber bases.
– Elevated styles may be more comfortable for larger dogs, and keep the area around the bowls cleaner. These are also excellent choices for dogs (like my darling Virgil) who have a tendency to play in their water bowls, a habit that can damage hardwood floors over the long-term.
Pictured above: Ceramic French Twig dog bowl from Mia & Maggie; Stainless steel Coco Bow dog bowl from Dog Lovers Source.
