One of my friend Krish has a female labrador dog. She is very pretty and calm and her name is Shizu.
She has only one problem. She finishes her 3 cups of dry kibble within a minute.
It’s harmful! Very harmful.
One day, As daily Krish gives food to Shizu. She finishes the whole food within a minute after that she sitting at her personal place.
After a while Shizu did vomiting. Krish gets in tension what happen with her Shizu. He suddenly runs to his room, Grabs a car key and goes to a veteran with her Shizu.
A vet checks Shizu and gives primary treatment. Within half of a day Shizu gets well and her vomiting also stop. Krish gets so happy.
On a very next day, Krish again goes to the vet and ask a vet to what happens with her Shizu yesterday.
A vet asks Krish to the questions:
Is your dog eat her food very fast?
Krish replied with Yes!
A vet suggests Krish to use slow feeder bowl to slow down her eating speed.
A vet says that, If a dog eating his food very fast like a vacuum cleaner then at the same time he/she also gulping the air too. That air directly goes into the dog’s stomach and create Gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV) also as known as BLOAT.
Bloat is a serious health problem in the dog. In the world estimated 20,000 dogs suffer from bloat. This is a BIG number.
Most of the time big chested or big breed dogs are more prone to affected by bloat. So, if you have a big chested dog then you always careful from bloat and gives your dog food in only slow feeder bowl.
What is a slow feeder dog bowl?
Slow feeder bowl has ridges, edges or mazes inside it. So, it creates obstacles for dog and reduces the dog’s eating speed and prevent them from bloat.
How to choose the best slow feeder dog bowls
The Internet has tons and tons of options to buy any kind of slow feeder bowls. But not all the bowls suit to your dog properly. Everyone has different breeds from each other.
So, if you going to buy a new slow feeder bowl for your dog then you should always keep in mind some key points that definitely help you to find the better bowl from the internet.
Bowl size
Different bowls have different size. Small, medium and large. You have to look in which category your dogs are coming.
If your dog is small then small size is a good option. For a medium size dog, a medium bowl size is a good option. For a large size dog, large bowls are a great option.
Types of bowls
In the market, 8 common types of bowls are available.
Plastic bowls: It is made from BPA free plastic materials and it’s cheap. But if your dog is allergic to plastic then you should definitely avoid it.
Stainless steel bowl: It is made from stainless steel material so it’s corrosion free. It runs for a longer and most durable bowl.
Elevated or raised bowl: The bowl is made from plastic or steel material. The bowl is put into the elevated stand that made from plastic, SS or wooden. This type of bowls is great for an old dog who not bending properly or blind dog.
Travel bowl: It is very light weighted and comes in small sizes, so you can easily carry whenever you travel with your dog.
Enhanced bowl: It is specially made for the flat faces dogs. The dogs who have a short nose, like the pug, Frenchie, bulldog etc.
Silicone bowl: It is made from silicone material. It is cheap in price.
Ceramic bowl: It is made from ceramic or stoneware material. It is expensive but looking very premium. The ceramic bowl is too delicate. It is easily broken if fall from the height.
Automatic bowl: It works on a completely automatic system. Most of the time you have to set the programme through your phone and food automatically comes into the bowl from the dispensers. If you have a busy schedule or doing a job then this bowl is perfect for you.
Face types of dog
This is a very critical point. Not all the dogs are the same looking. Different dogs have different face structure. Some have a long nose, some have a short nose, some have a bigger face and some have a smaller face.
So, if your dog has flat faces then you should check the enhanced dog bowls that specially made for the flat faces or short noses dogs.
For long nose dogs, you can use most of the time any types of bowls.
If your dog has a big face then give them large bowl and for a smaller face, give them a small sized bowl.
Price
People are always looking for a price when they buy something. Nobody wants to pay more! But if you want a quality product then it definitely cost you more.
The ceramic and elevated bowl is costlier than plastic and stainless steel bowl.
Conclusion
If you have FAST-EATER dog then I recommended you to buy slow feeder dog bowls that help to reduce eating speed of your dog and prevent from bloat.