Why is Good Hygiene Important for My Dog?

If you chose to feed raw food to your pets then good hygiene is paramount. 

Your pets are designed to consume raw food, from their teeth and jaws to their high acidic gut content and short tract digestive system, which is something I discuss in more depth during consultations. However, thorough hygiene practices need to be put in place when feeding your pet raw, just as you would when preparing raw food for yourself and your human family members. 

Disinfect your preparation surfaces, cooking utensils, and your hands! 

Your pet’s food and water bowls are just as important. Wash your pet’s food bowl with hot water after every use. This is all common sense and should be common practice in every household. You wash your own dinner plates after you’ve eaten, don’t you? Your fur baby should be given the same courtesy. 

But what about your pet’s water bowl as that doesn’t contain food? 

What is BioFilm?

Well, your pet’s water bowl also requires some TLC. 

Biofilm is the name for that clear slime that you feel when you run your fingers over the inside of your pet’s water bowl.

Basically, biofilm is made up of bacteria that have found together into a substance that sticks to your pet’s water bowl.

Biofilm can have good bacteria, however, biofilm can also be a breeding ground for bacteria such as E.coli, Listeria, and Legionella as been known to be involved with a number of microbial infections such as middle ear infections, UTIs, and bladder infections. So make sure you wash your pet’s water bowl out once a week!

So in conclusion to this, please remember to keep up good hygiene practices for yourself, your family, and your pets. It’s the same amount of effort required for cleaning up after your pet as it is for feeding your pet.