Choosing A Dog Food And Water Bowl
When you get a new dog or puppy, one of the first things you need to buy is something to feed him and provide him with water. The most important consideration is that your puppy's dog and food bowls are indestructible. If you leave puppy for any period of time, water should always be available. Puppies will chew, and if they chew their water bowl they can be left without water. Broken pieces of plastic could also be ingested, causing harm to puppy.
A handy tip for new puppy owners, never leave a bowl of food out for puppy. What is not eaten in 5 minutes should be emptied from the bowl and stored for later. Nothing teaches pup to be a fussy eater like free access to food all day.
Dog food and water bowls come in all shapes and sizes, but there are certain elements to consider when purchasing:
- Size. How big is your dog and how much food and water will he need daily? The water bowl may need to be bigger to ensure he always has a good supply of water. Consider that a dog drinks about an ounce per body pound, so a 40-pound dog will drink about 40 ounces, more on a hot day. Having more than one water bowl is preferable on especially hot days or if you keep your dog outside.
- Material. Dog food and water bowls come in a variety of materials from plastic to ceramic to stainless steal. Some experts prefer not to use plastic because they believe it can retain bacteria even when cleaned well. Plastic tends to be too light weight and can be played with.
- Shape. Your dog’s food and water bowls should be spill proof and not encourage the dog to play with them. Water bowls in particular should be especially spill proof for puppies who like to play and splash their water.
- Special needs. Some dogs bolt their food, which can be dangerous. Specially made food bowls have raised areas in the bottom of the food bowl to slow your dog down and force him to eat more slowly. This can save your dog from medical issues like bloat from bolting food.
- Combo dishes. Some food and water bowls come in a combination attached form. The problem with these is that food can easily contaminate the water. If you have one of these combination food water bowls, also have a separate water bowl placed a bit further away so your dog always has a fresh water source. These combination bowls, though convenient for cleaning or filling, typically don’t have enough space to have enough water for your dog. Water gets in the food; food gets in the water. And it just gets to be a mess that doesn’t help your dog any.
- Easy to clean/dishwasher and microwave safe. You want to be able to heat your dog’s food if necessary and you want to be able to toss your dog’s food bowl in the dishwasher.
- Automatic feeder/waterer. If you’re gone for many hours during the day, you may need to consider automatic battery operated feeders that release controlled portions throughout the day. Automatic waterers do the same for water.
- Elevated feeder/waterer. If your dog is large or suffers from arthritis or back trouble, you may want to keep him more comfortable by providing an elevated feeder/waterer so he doesn’t have to stretch so far down.
If you take your dog’s needs and lifestyle, as well as your lifestyle, into consideration, you’ll select the right dog food and water bowls to keep your dog happy and healthy.
Next article: Automatic Dog Water Bowl - No Need To Refill It Manually Ever
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