How To Choose The Right Dog Bowls For Your Dog?

There are many options available in today's market. You should choose accordingly to your dog's size, eating and drinking habits, your personal style and taste, and of course health and safety issues.

Plastic Dog bowls

Plastic bowls might be inexpensive, but some dogs become allergic to plastic and develop skin irritations, and/ or lose the pigmentation of their noses.

Plastic being porous, can trap dirt, odors and germs, which even your dishwasher will not be able to eliminate.

Plastic can also leach plasticizers (most commonly phthalates) and colorants, into your dog's food, which are very harmful to its health.

Plastic bowls being lightweight will easily tip and spill over and can be chewed on by aggressive or playful dogs.

Ceramic Dog Bowls

Ceramic dog bowls can be a good choice if chosen wisely.

They are usually heavy enough to be spill-proof, but some decorative glazes can contain lead and other toxics (mainly found in foreign products). So it is important to make sure that the bowls were intended for food usage and have a lead-free glaze finish.

Check the bowls regularly for cracks (especially fine ones which can be difficult to detect), chips and scratches, as they encourage the growth of bacteria. If such a bowl becomes damaged, do not attempt to super-glue it! It is not safe for your dog! Just replace it.

Stainless Steel Dog Bowls

They are the most healthy choice for your dog. Stainless steel has been the material of choice for food processing, dairy and brewery industries. It is durable, sanitary, rust-free, and non-leaching. Such bowls will also last a lifetime.

For Older Dogs Or Taller Dogs 

Getting an elevated dog feeder for a taller or older dog (or both), is a good idea since it will help them to eat and drink more comfortably from a dog feeder which is at a more natural body level. They are much more comfortable for older dogs with arthritis, have bad backs, or joint or muscular pain.

For a dog with stiff or sore muscles or joints, bending down to eat can be uncomfortable or painful. An elevated dog dish will encourage him to eat more in a more comfortable manner.

Elevated dog feeders reduce food and water gulping. This will prevent some rare, but serious conditions: bloat (or volvulus), and mega-esophagus, which is a condition when the food accumulates into the esophagus instead of descending to the stomach .This can lead to regurgitation and vomiting.

Again, with an elevated dog feeder, the dog's head being more raised as he eats, gravity will draw the food down into its stomach.

Some are outfitted with a single bowl or double bowls to accommodate your space or your dog's drinking and eating habits

And if bending causes you discomfort, you won't need to bend down as much to pick up or put down heavy, full dog dishes: the stainless steel bowls are light enough to remove for easy cleaning and filling.

Keep Your dog bowls Clean

Whichever kind of dog bowls you opt for, always keep them clean. Hand-wash them in warm, soapy water (and rinse them well), or run them through the dishwasher regularly. This will prevent any unhealthy build up of any sort on the bowls.

If you have an elevated feeder, wipe its top often to keep it dry and clean. Also, when choosing a raised dog feeder, check wrought iron dog bowl stands for safety, as a few accidents have been reported: some dog's collar tags have been caught onto unsafe metal stands which can harm your dog or just scare him off enough so he will not want to use its new feeder.

A healthy dog, is a happy dog!