Commonly known as bulldogs, English or British bulldogs are adorable pets that many people want to keep because of their deceptive-yet-endearing faces, their wide chests, their muscular structure, and their soft skin folds or wrinkles. To keep your bulldog healthy from its infancy to adulthood, you need to feed it enough food and give it enough water, along with a lot of love and playful moments. So that your bulldog can get the most nutrition during feeding time, you need to be careful about choosing the right bowl for your English bulldog. This article will help you pick the best one for your pet.
Pet bowls of different shapes, colors, sizes, and designs abound in many pet stores today. But, which one is the right one for your bulldog? It is easy to be swayed by the cute shape of this bowl, or the brilliant color of that bowl. But, don’t let the looks of the bowl deceive you. It is important not to leave the nutritional needs and health of your bulldog to just your personal preferences or your gullibility for cuteness.
First, consider hygiene and sanitation of the bowl for your bulldog. There are bulldog bowls made of ceramic, glass, hard plastic, or stainless steel. Which one should you get for your pet? Unlike those of plastic bowls, the surfaces of ceramic bowls and stainless steel bowls are less likely to wear out fast, so they tend to be less hospitable to bacterial growth that can be harmful to your pet. As a general rule, cracks in your pet’s feeding bowl can be perfect havens and breeding grounds for all sorts of bacteria and fungi that can make your bulldog sick. In terms of durability, plastic bowls and stainless steel bowls seem to outlast ceramic or glass bowls. You wouldn’t want to feed your dog using a bowl that can break easily. Combining both sanitation and durability, stainless steel bowls have the most advantage. As a matter of fact, most bulldog owners use stainless steel bowls to feed their pets, not just because such bowls are durable and sanitary, but also because other materials (especially plastic) can sometimes cause allergic reactions in bulldogs and also because stainless steel bowls can withstand frequent washing (and are dishwasher-safe, too).
The next thing you want to consider when selecting the right bowl for your dog is the shape and size. Choose a bowl that is large enough for your bulldog to breathe easily while it is eating from its bowl. Also, because of the way bulldogs’ muzzles are shaped, you will need a flat-bottomed bowl instead of a bowl with a bottom curving downward. You would also want a bowl with straight sides. This way, your bulldog will be able to eat properly from the bowl.
The quality of food and water that you provide your bulldogs is not the only important factor in keeping them fit and healthy. The dish or bowl, which you use to serve their food, is also important. So, choose your bulldog’s feeding bowl well, just as you would choose your spoons, forks, and plates well.