Does your dog have issues with eating too fast? Are you looking for slow feeder bowls to get their eating under control? Here we have picked a few of the best dog slow feeder bowls for you to consider.
Quick Summary
Don’t fancy reading the whole article? Here’s a quick summary to save you time!
| Name | Price | Advantages | Disadvantages | Rating |
| Deycam Slow Feeder Dog Bowl | £8.96 | -Anti Slip Feet -Dishwasher Safe | -Lightweight -Plastic | 4.5/5 |
| Havniva Ceramic Slow Feeder Dog Bowl | £19.99 | -Anti Slip Ring -Heavy | -Hand Wash Only -Shallow design | 4.6/5 |
| PETTOM Slow Feeder Dog Bowl | £18.99 | -Reversible Design | -Hand Wash Only -Lightweight | 4.2/5 |
| PETTOM Slow Feeder Insert | £10.99 | – Suction Cup Bottom -Easy to Clean Silicone | – Hand Wash Only -Requires a 12cm Bowl or greater. | 4.2/5 |
Is Eating Too Fast A Problem?
Yes! Eating too fast has been linked to numerous health issues, a couple of which are explained below:
Digestive related Issues
Quick eaters can experience the ill effects of digestive related issues, like choking, burping, vomiting or regurgitation. Albeit the majority of these issues will resolve themselves, however some can be serious such as choking. If your dog eats their food without chewing, the food they have consumed is a real choking hazard.
Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV) aka Bloat
GDV is the condition used to describe Bloat in dogs. This is the most serious and dangerous condition that can arise from your dog eating too quickly. If you suspect bloat in your dog, contact your local veterinary practice for advice immediately.
Nutrition Issues
Eating too fast or without chewing may also cause problems with your dog getting all of the vitamins and nutrients out of their food. By not giving the saliva a chance to pre-break down the food, the food will not break down as easily in the stomach by the digestive enzymes. These digestive enzymes are also disadvantaged if the food has not been chewed and broken down into smaller pieces, as there is less surface area for these enzymes to work on the food.
Why Does My Dog Eat Too Fast?
Your dog may just really enjoy their food, however there may also be other reasons such as:
Competition
If your furry companion has another furry friend in the house, then this fast eating may be down to a sense of competition for their food or this behaviour may stem from the litter, where your puppy may have had to compete for food against their litter mates. Fast eating stemming from this cause can be helped by feeding your dogs in separate rooms or areas and even hand feeding the food to your dog.
Inconsistent Meal Timing
If you feed your dog at different times and don’t have a set schedule, this may make the dog eat too fast as they want to make sure they make the most out of an opportunity for food. By creating a set schedule of when you feed your dog, this should give them confidence that they will always have food available to them every day. This confidence should slow their eating as they no longer worry about having to eat all of their food quickly out of fear of not getting another meal.
Poor Nutrition
Poor nutrition can be a factor as your dog is not getting all of the vitamins and nutrients it needs. To compensate for this, your dog eats at a fast rate to consume as much food as they can, in the hopes of fulfilling their nutritional needs. A website called AllAboutDogFood.com is a good source to check the exact nutrition of the food you are feeding your dog.
Underlying Health Issues
If your dog has started to suddenly eat very quickly or you are worried about the behaviours they are displaying, then this could be due to another underlying health issue. If you suspect this may be the case, then please contact your local veterinary practice for advice.
Top Slow Feeder Bowl Picks
First up is the Deycam Slow Feeder Dog Bowl. It is currently Amazon’s Choice and has a 4.5 star rating from over 15,000 reviews. The maze like design of this bowl means that your dog has a challenge to get every piece of kibble out of the bowl as they cannot easily open their mouth too wide between the walls to scoop up a large amount. This bowl also features rubber feet to stop it from sliding all over the floor and making a mess. Another essential design feature of this bowl is that it is made from no BPA, PVC or Phthalate plastics, so you can ensure that none of those microplastics are leaching into your dogs food. As it is of a plastic design, this bowl is durable and it is also dishwasher safe for the ease of cleaning. This bowl comes in various sizes to meet the needs of all size and breeds.
Next up is the Havniva Ceramic Slow Feeder Dog Bowl. This bowl has 4.6 stars on Amazon from over 300 reviews. As this bowl is made from ceramic, it is heavy and durable, which is ideal for dogs who are prone to picking up their food bowl. It also comes in a range of colours and sizes to suit every dog breed and size. This bowl will also not slip around the floor, as it features a non slip rubber ring around the bottom of the bowl which prevents it slipping. Unfortunately, this bowl is hand wash only so it will take a little bit more time to clean than chucking it in the dishwasher unlike the bowl above.
Finally the last bowl is the PETTOM Slow Feeder Dog Bowl. This bowl has 4.2 stars on Amazon from over 50 reviews and is Amazon’s Choice. This bowl is made from 304 stainless steel which means that this bowl is light and it also features a reversible design, allowing food to be placed on one side and treats on the other. Being stainless steel, this bowl is easy to clean but it is hand wash only. However, due to the light weight of the bowl, people have reported that it slips around the room when their dog eats from it. If you do decide to use this bowl or another stainless steel bowl, it would probably be wise to use a silicone mat to place the bowl on to stop it moving around.
Bonus Product – PETTOM Slow Feeder Insert. This product will enable you to turn your regular bowl into a slow feeder bowl via this clever insert. This insert fits inside your regular dog bowl and its raised edges stop your dog from eating the food all at once. This insert is silicone so it is easy to clean and features a suction cup bottom, so your dog will not be able to easily take this insert out of their bowl.
Whatever bowl you choose to help your dog to slow down when eating, it will all be a step in the right direction to getting this behaviour under control. This will also cause your dog to avoid those health related issues mentioned earlier in the article and provide a more enjoyable meal time for you and your dog.
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