Pet food bowls are available in a wide assortment of sizes and materials. Many people choose plastic pet food bowls because they are readily available, inexpensive, and come in lots of colors and sizes. However, a plastic bowl might not be the best choice for our pet’s food bowls.
Better materials for pet food bowls are made of stainless steel. Stainless steel bowls are unbreakable, durable, dishwasher-safe, and easy to keep clean. If you choose stainless steel, look for a bowl with non-skid rubber on the bottom, such as Durapet pet food dishes and bowls.
Other choices include glass, ceramic, or stoneware pet food bowls. Like stainless steel, these are sturdy, non-porous, and easy to keep clean. Ceramic and stoneware pet food bowls come in several different colors and designs. If you choose stoneware, make sure the bowls are dishwasher safe and have a lead-free, food-grade glaze. To ensure your pet’s safety, glass, ceramic, or stoneware pet food bowls should be discarded if they become chipped or cracked. Also, be cautious of using glass bowls outside as, under the right conditions, glass can concentrate the sun’s rays enough to start a fire on a wooden deck.
When choosing pet food dishes, consider an elevated feeder, which is simply an elevated stand used to raise the food bowls above floor level. Elevated feeders have several benefits, the most important of which is improved comfort for our pets. It can be uncomfortable for some pets to lower the head down to eat or drink, especially for larger dogs, senior pets, and those with painful joints. A raised feeder allows our pets to eat using a more natural body posture, thereby reducing stress on our pet’s back and neck. Since our pet’s head isn’t pointed downward to eat from the floor, a raised feeder also makes swallowing food and water easier on our pet.
Additionally, an elevated feeder can keep the feeding area neater as less food and waterfalls on the floor when our pet eats, and the bowls are held in place preventing playful pets from pushing the bowls around the floor.
What type of bowl does our pet use would be the best?
An essential part of our pet’s kit, food, and water bowls play an important role in feeding a raw diet.
We’ll want to put a bit of thought into what we choose for our dog or cat since they will be using it several times a day and for years to come. Here is a brief analysis of bowl materials to ensure our pet enjoys good health for years to come!
So what is the difference between Plastic, Ceramic, and Stainless Steel bowls?
1.Stainless steel is the first choice of vets and our Techolux Brand team. This is because…
They are the safest, most practical choice for pet bowls.
Stainless steel bowls are easy to clean and sanitize as they do not harbor bacteria.
They are the most durable and can last a lifetime.
They do not leach potentially toxic chemicals into food like plastic or ceramic bowls with low-quality paint.
A rubber coating on the bottom prevents sliding on the floor.
2. Advantages and disadvantages with Plastic Bowls
Many people choose plastic pet food bowls because they are readily available, inexpensive, and come in a variety of colors and sizes. However, a plastic bowl is not the best choice as a pet’s food bowl. Be careful to choose this type of pet bowl for food and water.
Plastic food bowls can get small scratches over time which trap and hold bacteria that cannot be removed even with cleaning. Some cats eating from plastic food bowls may develop feline acne from exposure to bacteria in the bowl, and dogs and cats may develop an allergic reaction to the plastic. While this is a controversial issue, some experts report that some plastics may emit BPA or other dangerous chemicals which can leach into your pet’s food. Finally, a dog that is a determined chewer may end up chewing the plastic pet food bowl, possibly ingesting pieces of the plastic bowl.
Aside from potentially causing an allergic reaction, plastic bowls can breed bacteria. Even with regular washing, scratches, nicks, and micro-gouges in plastic bowls can host bacteria.
Plastic cannot be boiled, and some plastics, if subjected to heat, release toxic chemicals into food and water.
Plastic bowls are difficult to keep clean. If you decide to use plastic bowls, replace them regularly.
Also, in many plastic bowls, the use of bisphenol or BPA is an issue. BPA is a chemical that many studies say is an endocrine disruptor that can have serious adverse effects on a mammal’s brain, cardiovascular system, and potentially cause cancer, among other issues.
Phthalates are also an issue in plastic bowls. Used as “plasticizers”, phthalates are used as solvents, to make plastic products more flexible. Some studies say that phthalates are toxic to mammals if absorbed long-term.
Some pets will chew on the bowl and swallow little bits of plastic that could build up over time and cause a blockage.
The Problems with Ceramic Bowls
3.Ceramic bowls can shatter or crack.
Microcracks, sometimes invisible to the human eye, can also host bacteria.
If your pet tends to scoot their bowl around or be rather “aggressive” eaters, there is the danger of a ceramic bowl breaking into shards – not to mention a mess.
Also, be sure that any ceramic bowl you or your pet uses for food consumption does use lead-free based paint and food-grade glaze. Lead-based paint flakes are toxic.
Techolux understands the needs of pet parents and their raw-fed pets and that’s why we’ve designed the ‘purrfect’ food bowl and dish for your pet. These are not the basic, thin, metal bowls that you often find in a pet store.
Techolux’s Food Bowls are constructed from a non-skid, non-toxic, high-quality stainless steel material.
The silicone bottom keeps the bowl from sliding around under the nose of a hungry, eager dog, especially if we feed fresh, healthy meals.
