I always hear about how important it is to give our pets good quality food and provide good drinking water. I also hear that using ceramic bowls or stainless bowls are better for our pets' health than using plastic bowls. But I rarely hear people say "Let's keep the pet food and water bowls clean every day, to keep them healthy!"

Some pet owners I know don't clean their pet food and water bowls. They just add food and water as the bowls get empty.

Since I haven't run into any articles or books that talk specifically about how unsanitary pet food and water bowls can affect pet health, I can't support my opinion with strong evidence. But just using common sense, would you be willing to pour your freshly-cooked favorite meal onto a plate that hasn't been washed for a long time? Or would you keep adding water to your mug cup over and over, never cleaning it?

William G. Crook, M.D. mentions left-over meals in his book The Yeast Connection : A Medical Breakthrough, he says:"Such foods provide a rich breeding ground for yeasts and molds. Molds are one of the major micro-organisms causing foods to spoil, and all foods spoil. Although refrigeration retards mold growth, even refrigerated foods develop mold contamination. So prepare only as much foods as you need and eat it promptly, or freeze left-overs."

It doesn't necessarily relate to pets' unsanitary food and water bowls, but at least it can give you an idea what left-over foods (or even particles, maybe) in general are capable of harboring. In addition to that, our cats' and dogs' mouths touch the bowls when they eat and drink. That means they may also leave their saliva (also carrying bacteria) on their plates and in their water.

I'm sure keeping a clean environment (in this case pet food bowls) is one of many factors needed to keep our companion animals happy and healthy.