Clean Kennels, Clean Dogs: A Short Biosecurity Checklist
Working kennels fail the same way every time. It is not a fancy virus. It is yesterday's kibble oil in a bin, a slime ring in the water bowl, and a hose blast that paints the next run with this run's mess.
Biosecurity is the boring stuff done on purpose. Food, water, floors, and the dog. That is the whole job.
Feed from the bag, not the bin
The FDA's advice is simple: keep dry food in the original bag. That bag is the lot number, the "best by" date, and the UPC you need if a recall hits. Less than half the pet-food complaints FDA gets even include a lot number.
If you like a bin, put the whole bag inside it. Do not dump kibble into a plastic tub and toss the bag. Fat and crumbs stick to the walls. The next bag sits on last month's rancid film.
If you ever pour into a bin, wash and dry it between bags. Store dry food cool and dry, under 80°F. Use a scoop that only touches pet food. Never scoop with the dirty bowl.
Tufts' veterinary nutrition team makes the same point: the bag is designed to protect the food. The bin is extra armor around the bag, not a replacement for it.
Wash the bowls. Do not top them off.
FDA: wash and dry food bowls after every use. Wash water bowls daily. Same for scoops.
A 2022 North Carolina State study in PLOS ONE swabbed home food dishes and surveyed 417 owners. Fewer than 5% even knew the FDA bowl rules existed. Following those rules dropped bacteria on the dishes. Hot water (over 160°F) beat lukewarm. Dishwashers beat a lazy rinse.
That slippery film on a water bowl is biofilm. Rinsing it does not break it. Scrub with hot soapy water, rinse, and let it dry before you refill. Stainless steel is easier to clean than scratched plastic, but it still grows slime if you only top it off.
Dirty water is still water. Dogs will often skip a bowl that smells like yesterday. Fresh water in a clean bowl is the cheapest hydration practice in the kennel.
Clean, then disinfect, then dry
Shelter medicine treats this as four steps: tidy, wash, disinfect, dry. Skip one and the rest is theater.
Tidy. Scoop feces. Sweep kibble. Pull soiled bedding. Get the organic stuff off first. Disinfectant cannot work through a layer of dirt.
Wash. Detergent and a brush. Low pressure. High-pressure hoses aerosolize what you have not killed yet. University of Florida's shelter medicine group is blunt: do not power-wash occupied dog kennels.
Disinfect. Follow the label. If you use household bleach on hard, non-porous surfaces, Merck's shelter chapter still cites a 1:32 mix (½ cup per gallon) with a 10-minute wet contact time for parvovirus and many bacteria. Mix it fresh. Bleach goes dead in the bucket. Quaternary ammonium cleaners are a poor bet against parvo.
Dry. Dogs returned to a wet, chemical floor get sore pads and sore mouths. Rinse if the product requires it. Dry completely before the dog goes back.
Spot-clean the same dog's run so you are not stripping every familiar scent every morning. Full sanitation when the occupant changes. AAHA's infection-control guidelines say the same thing for kennels: clean and disinfect between animals.
The dog is part of the protocol
Hygiene is not a spa day. It is keeping feces, urine, and mud off the coat, paws, and bedding so the kennel you just cleaned stays clean.
Check paws and nails after work. Mud and fecal material ride back in on the feet.
Dry the dog. A wet coat in a wet run is a bacterial gift.
Give each dog their own towel and collar. Shared rags are fomites.
Bathe when the dog is actually soiled, not on a calendar that strips the skin. If there is diarrhea or known infectious disease, treat that kennel like a hospital: dedicated tools, last in the cleaning order.
Wash your hands after feeding and after handling dirty bowls. AVMA: 20 seconds, soap, running water.
Association of Shelter Veterinarians sanitation guidance budgets real minutes per animal for this work. If your "clean" takes 90 seconds and a hose, it is not clean.
The five-minute close
Bag in the bin. Bowls washed, not topped off. Detergent before disinfectant. Dry before the dog goes back. Hands last.
That is kennel biosecurity. It is also how you keep water worth drinking.
Sources
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Proper Storage of Pet Food & Treats. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/proper-storage-pet-food-treats
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Tips for Safe Handling of Pet Food and Treats. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/tips-safe-handling-pet-food-and-treats
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Petfoodology. The Scoop on Storing Pet Food (26 Oct 2020). https://sites.tufts.edu/petfoodology/2020/10/26/the-scoop-on-storing-pet-food/
Luisana E, Saker K, Jaykus L-A, Getty C. Survey evaluation of dog owners' feeding practices and dog bowls' hygiene assessment in domestic settings. PLoS ONE. 2022;17(4):e0259478. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259478
Smith-Blackmore M. Cleaning, Disinfection, and Sanitation in Shelter Medicine. Merck Veterinary Manual. Full review Oct 2025. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/special-subjects/shelter-medicine/cleaning-disinfection-and-sanitation-in-shelter-medicine
University of Florida Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program. Canine and Feline Parvovirus Infections in Shelters (2021). https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/wordpress/files/2022/03/Canine-and-Feline-Parvovirus-Infections-in-Shelters.2021-2.pdf
American Animal Hospital Association. 2018 AAHA Infection Control, Prevention, and Biosecurity Guidelines. https://www.aaha.org/resources/2018-aaha-infection-control-prevention-and-biosecurity-guidelines/how-often-should-i-clean/
American Veterinary Medical Association. Safe handling of pet food and pet treats. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/safe-handling-of-pet-food-and-pet-treats
Association of Shelter Veterinarians. Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters, sanitation highlights (updated 2024). https://sheltervet.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/5__Sanitation_Final_06AUG2024.pdf
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