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When feeding a dog, the food should be placed in a bowl, dish or any other clean container. Putting the food on the floor presents the dog with risks of contamination. One can improvise a bowl by using a good container that the dog can feed from comfortably. When considering to the dog food bowl, health and safety need to be considered. Other factors to consider include:
1. It should be resistant to breakage, cracks and damage under the normal tear and wear.
2. It should be an appropriate size for the particular dog.
3. It should be made from a material that is not harmful to the dog. This includes the painting, cover, decorations and labels.
4. It should be able to withstand reasonable harsh mishandling from the dog’s teeth.
5. It should be resistant to soaps, detergents, grease and disinfectants.
6. It should be made of a material that can easily be wash and dried.
7. It should be made of a material that is corrosive-resistant to the food, urine and other substances it may be subject to.
There are few materials that can withstand the above conditions. These are:
Plastic
Containers have many faults like they cannot withstand harsh treatment from the dog’s teeth. Mischievous dogs can reduce them to a pile of shreds. If the animal eats these pieces, they might be harmful to their stomachs. Plastic cannot withstand high temperatures and other have low resistant to chemicals that are used to clean them. When subjected to extreme temperatures, they can fold or bend.
Metal
These are the best containers for feeding the dogs on. Most of them are light in weight and can be handled easily without the fear of breakage. They might cost more to purchase but the initial cost can be spread over the duration of their effective use making them more reasonably priced. They can be dropped and not break and can withstand the dogs’ rough handling.
Pottery
These ones should be used to give the dogs dry foods. These containers are heavy and bulky and can chip or break if not handled roughly. They are rarely used as they have been replaced by those made of other materials.
Glass
These are the least suitable among all other materials. They are very fragile and so unsuitable for kennel use. Most of them are used for the dogs that stay indoors and should be removed and cleaned as soon as the dog is done feeding.






