Dog Health Blog

We are a nation of pet lovers. We often rate our dogs as a
family member…their needs sometimes coming before our
own. We buy them toys, beds, treats and special food.
Clothing remains optional!

A necessity for any dog is appropriate dog bowls. Whether
we decide to cave in to our own desires and look for a bowl
that is compatible with our home decor or style the
goal should be obtaining a dog bowl that is suitable for
our pet. In order to determine what makes a bowl suitable
we should first consider the size of our dog.

Large dogs need bigger bowls. A dog bowl should be big
enough to hold a full feeding, but not much more than that.
A bowl that is too big can lead to over-filling and that
can result in your dog becoming overweight.

Most dogs love to eat and therefore they spend more than a
little time at their food and water bowls. Emphasis should
be placed on providing comfort for your dog as he eats. A
bowl with a flat bottom will help to prevent any tipping
and spilling of food. Many dog bowls are equipped with
rubber rims or feet that help to keep the dish from sliding
across the floor. Dog bowls made of dishwasher-safe
materials are preferable because the high water temperature
in the dishwasher aids in killing bacteria and germs.
Your pet’s bowls should be cleaned after every use - just
as you would clean your own.

Research has shown that elevated dog bowls can be
beneficial - especially for larger dogs. By elevating the
bowls the dog is not required to bend his neck toward the
bowl. This aids in posture as well as digestion. For an
older dog this may help to alleviate pain from sore or
stiff joints and/or arthritis. To determine the
appropriate height for the elevation you will need to
measure your dog’s height at the top of his front shoulder.
The bowls should be positioned about 6 inches below that
level. For smaller dogs the bowls should be about 4 below
that level.

The dog’s water bowl should be about twice the size of the
food bowl. Water is the most important nutrient for your
dog, therefore he should always be encouraged to drink
water and a larger bowl will assist with that. Dogs lose
water through panting and elimination which means they
constantly need to replace that water. The bigger sized
bowl will also decrease the number of times that you will
need to refill the bowl. Everyone wins!

Are you forgetful or are there times that you have to be
away from home for longer periods of time than your dog can
go without food? If so you’ll probably want to invest in
an automatic feeder. These innovative bowls hold a
substantial amount of food that is slowly dispensed into
the feeding dish. As the dog eats away the food in the
dish more will fall into place. Similar water bowls are
also available.

As responsible pet owners we all try to meet the needs of
our dogs. By providing the appropriate dog bowls we can
help them in various ways while helping ourselves at the
same time. This adds to our dogs’ comfort and contentment
and also lets them know how important they are to us. Dogs
really do rule!

—————————————————-
Mike Brown
Great resources for dog bowls
http://dog-bowls.org/
http://dog-bowls.org/stainless-steel-dog-bowls.html