DOG owners may be be putting their pets and themselves at risk by not feeding them safely.
A study found that almost two in ten people wash their pouch’s dish less than every three months or not at all.
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And only one in ten said they cleaned it daily, as is recommended.
More worryingly for the owners themselves, little over a third said they washed their hands after handling pet food.
But many also failed to do the same before filling a dog’s bowl too.
“Most pet owners are unaware that pet food bowls can be a hidden source of bacteria in the household,” experts from North Carolina State University said.
“Knowing how to mitigate this risk and practice proper pet food storage and hygiene may make for a happier, healthier household.”
It comes as their research found just five per cent of pet owners were aware that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has guidelines on how you should handle pet food.
The vast majority seemed oblivious that you should wash and dry scooping utensils after each use too.
Thankfully, nine in ten said they do look out for signs of damage to their canine’s food.
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The same amount also said they don’t use the bowl as a scooping utensil.
Experts surveyed 417 dog owners and took swabs from 68 dog food dishes for their study.
“Exposure to contaminated dog food can have implications for canine and human health,” the paper, published in PLOS, said.
“For example, there have been multiple outbreaks of both humans and dogs becoming ill after exposure to dog food contaminated with pathogenic bacteria.
“These risks may be amplified in households with children and/or immunocompromised individuals, which were over a third of respondents’ households.”
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
