Disposable Dishes for Pets
These handy tricks make meal time clean up easy
MetPet.com staff
The good, the bad and the ugly of disposable
food dishes. If you are totally swamped for awhile,
if you are planning on leaving your pet with a sitter
or if you are traveling with your pet, you may want
to consider disposable food dishes.
If your amateur sitter is your neighbor's teenager,
the bowls will, most likely, never be scrubbed or
see the inside of a dishwasher. If you are traveling, you may
not have easy access to soap and water. Disposable dishes can be
the answer to keeping things clean and tidy.
Inexpensive, dessert or snack-sized, single layer paper
plates may be just what you want for a small dog's or
cat's moist food. A large dog will need a
salad-sized plate. If you are a member of a
warehouse club that caters to small restaurants, you may be able
to find those rectangular paper bowls used for french fries or
hotdogs. These are great for kibble and other food that tend to
roll off flat plates. Aluminum foil sheets used by delis can be
very handy. Shape them into bowls or use them to keep the inside
of bowls clean.
Canned and other moist foods can leave a residue in
the bowl. Especially in the warmth of summer,
bacteria can grow quickly leaving smells throughout
the house and attracting flies if left out in the
backyard. Many dogs will lick their bowls clean
leaving a very thick saliva residue that can be difficult to
clean off. Cats are likely to eat a bit and then leave bits and
pieces lying around. Contrary to popular expectation, many cats
we know are the messiest eaters we have ever seen! They pick at
their food, taking unappetizing pieces out of their bowls and
dropping them for someone else to pick up.
The bad part of disposable dishes is that they can
feel wasteful and the ugly part is thinking about overflowing
landfills. However, they can be a useful temporary solution and
if you shop around a bit, they can be had for a few cents
apiece.
You should always try paper dishes before you leave.
Some dogs may eat the plates in which case they have
to be disposed of before he ingests them. A little
paper will probably not be a problem but why take
any chances?
Edible plates
Another time-saving
solution is to use edible plates.
Our more imaginative friends have used large lettuce
or cabbage leaves, large slices of melon with the
rind intact and tortilla shells. A bread dough
shaped and baked inside muffin tins makes a small cup that fits
all manner of things. What works for you depends on your pet's
diet, table manners and your own creativity.
