What Material Is Best For Dog Bowls?

If you are a big pet-lover, there is nothing more satisfying than making sure that your little furry buddies are left feeling full after a day of being active and having a lot of fun. If you treat your dogs like they are a part of your family, however, then it is fair to assume that you probably weren’t the absolute best for them. Well, you should start with the dog bowl.

You are probably wondering to yourself why it even matters. You may think that a dog bowl is only something that holds food in place for your dog to chow down on, but you may be surprised how important having the right materials really is.

Ceramic

Ceramic is one of the most popular choices for dog bowls and they are generally more safe than plastic but they are not without fault. The problem with ceramic dog bowls is that they tend to be very heavy but they do not make up for it with extra functionality. Even though they appear to be stronger than plastic, they actually are not that much more durable. There’s also one element that makes ceramic dog bowls less attractive – lead. Lead is a very toxic metal that is unfortunately very ubiquitous in ceramic materials.

Plastic

As flawed as ceramic dog bowls are, they are not as bad as plastic. Plastic dog bowls may be the most affordable but the risks that are associated with them would not be worth the lower price. First of all, plastic has the tendency of mimicking the effects of certain hormones that could cause your dogs to have certain hormonal imbalances when they are exposed to it for a prolonged period of time. Not to mention that plastic is also the easiest to contaminate because compared to other dog bowl materials, they are very easily damaged and the scratches that they accumulate over time could be ideal for the growth of bacteria. This is not something that you would want for your dog.

Stainless Steel

Even though they may be the priciest dog bowls – stainless steel dog bowls are a very valuable investment. They do not have the flaws that ceramic dog bowls and plastic dog bowls have. Because their surface does not scratch easily, they do not have as much bacteria on the surface as plastic dog bowls do. They also tend to not have as many harmful elements like lead on them like ceramic dog bowls do. No matter who you ask, the vast majority of dog experts would say that they would recommend that you buy a stainless steel dog bowl for your furry friends.

The Best Choice

Of course, there is no argument here as far as the best material for dog bowls goes, but there’s also the question of where you should buy these dog bowls from. There are a lot of options that you can find online but you really want to read about the reputation of the company that you are buying from. Make sure that you were buying from a company that prioritizes high-quality materials, fast delivery, and an undaunted passion for pets. If the company that you’re buying from does not really care about pets — they simply don’t care about what kind of materials they would give to your dog and whether or not these materials are harmful would mean nothing to them, as long as they are better for the bottom line. Make the most responsible choices for your dogs and you will find that they will remain happy and content for the years to come.