Ants in Petfood

Question
QUESTION: My senior engineering capstone project involves conducting research on the specific problem that ants can get into and consume pet food. I believe that I can engineer a better solution that those already in existence. It is also my belief that is is actually a problem. But who cares what I think? This is actually what I'm referring to:

"Who says it's a problem?

The critical word here is who, not what; meaning who is the qualified expert that can credibly attest to the authenticity of your problem statement? When you say "I know that blah, blah is a problem", what you are really saying is that "in my opinion blah, blah is a problem". Unfortunately, until either you have a PhD or a billion dollars in the bank nobody cares about your opinion."
As I'm sure you know, I do not have a PhD, nor am I an expert in any way. This is where you come in. You as an expert can, if you wish to help me, offer testimony to support my problem. That is all I ask. Thank you for your time!

ANSWER: Hello Thomas;
Well I am flattered you want to ask this of me. I am interested in knowing about new inventions to improve the conditions and environment for dogs!
I would love to help you if you send me your information.
But, I do have to make a short answer, since this is about Dogs.
Thank you for your confidence.
Sincerely,
Melissa

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello, this is Thomas again, who asked for your help/testimony on ants in pet food.

You can reach me with the following email address:

thomas.m.torres@gmail.com

I hope to hear from you! And thanks again!

ANSWER: Hello Thomas;
You will need to send me a question or material here for me to review.
Best regards,
Melissa

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I'm sorry I thought you meant email information.

Okay so I'm just going to recap on what I need. My EDD (engineering design and development) project consists of finding a problem that has to do with something I enjoy and attempting to engineer a solution or something that is better than an already existing solution. In order to continue with the specific problem that ants can get into pet food, I need justifications. In other words, my opinion doesn't matter... I need people who are more qualified than I am (such as experts) to agree with me that it's actually a problem.

So do you, as an expert, agree?

I think it is very much a problem. Either your pets go hungry, or you have to spray poison which might cause health issues. Not to mention the fact that you are practically paying for the ants to eat. Some solutions exist, such as a moated pet bowl, but what is to stop your pet(s) from drinking the water and letting the ants get to the food anyway?

So I'd like to know your opinions, testimony, and experiences with this problem.

Thank you again! Your time and patience is greatly appreciated!  

Answer
Hello again;
Absolutely it is a problem.
When ants get into a dog's food dish, it can cause the dog to get hurt.
The options are limited for sure.Raising the food bowl may only be a short term solution, and with outside influences, can be a hassle to keep moving the position of the feeding area to outsmart the ants!
The dog food has to be thrown away when ants are in it. No poisons are available to exterminate the ants without hurting the dog!
Fire ants are even worse, as they can actually sting the dog inside if they eat them inadvertently!
So, if there was another option to get rid of ants before they do damage to the dog, I am all for it!
Best of luck in your research!
Hope it turns out well.
Thank you for choosing my opinion.
And if you would be so kind as to rate my answer on the site, that would be appreciated!
Thanks again,
Melissa