How to keep ants out of dog food

Why are there ants in my dog's food bowl?

Ants are clever, and they will work as a team to find a new food source. Unfortunately for us this means that food can become overrun with ants overnight. Insects have a very sensitive sense of smell, meaning if you don’t leave food stored airtight, they will likely find it and come to feast. Ants can be an irritation, but they are simply looking for a good food source and sadly, your dog’s food bowl is a great target.

Will ants in dog food hurt my dog?

Ants can be pesky insects and they are generally regarded as a mild annoyance rather than a danger to us or our pets. But is it safe for our dogs to eat ants? The simple answer is yes. Although the presence of ants in your dog’s food can be annoying to both you and your furry companion, it won’t hurt your dog if they happen to ingest some during their meal. If your dog ate ants, it's generally not a cause for concern. If anything, ants will provide your dog with a great source of protein as well as some extra vitamin C – so there’s no need for you to worry.

How do i remove ants from my dog's food?

Now we know a little more about the reason ants will target your dog’s food, as well as the safety surrounding them – it is time to discuss a few of the ways that you can remove ants from your dog food and prevent them from coming back. One effective option to keep ants out of your dog’s food is to place the dog food bowl inside a slightly larger bowl and fill the larger bowl with water. This will create a sort of moat around your dog’s food, making it much harder for ants to access the food as they don’t like water.

Cornstarch can also be a great way to detach ants from your dog food. Place your dog food in a large shallow container and spread it around. Now, sprinkle some cornstarch over the dog food and this will start detaching ants from the food. Once you have done this it is time to remove the ants from your dog’s food. Grab a sieve and a small brush, and in batches take some food into the sieve and use the brush to get rid of any remaining ants stuck to the food. Do this in small batches and transfer cleaned batches to an airtight container.