How Slow Feeder Bowls Can Enhance Your Dog's Well-Being

Slow feeders are quirky, fun dog bowls that often come in a variety of designs like honeycombs, spirals, or mazes.

They’re designed to help your fur baby slowww down when it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner time. And, truth be told, they’re gaining in popularity as time goes by because animal lovers are seeing their advantages.

First, let’s take a closer look at these ingenious creations. Then, we’ll explore the purported benefits of slow feeders for dogs.

What Is a Slow Feeder?

A slow feeder looks a bit like a maze on a plate or a spiral in a bowl. Sometimes, they’re called puzzle feeders. They create numerous cracks and crevices for your dog to explore in order to gobble down their favorite meal.

Instead of gulping down a giant lump of dry or wet food, they have to work around the grooves in the feeder to take in the delights of their dinner.

While it may take a moment for your pet friend to figure out the challenge before them, most pups rise to the occasion. Typically, you’ll see them in plastic varieties on Amazon. But, there are also silicone and stainless steel options. Some of them lay fairly flat, with short sides. Others are bowl-shaped.

The only thing to keep in mind is that if you have a small or flat-faced little friend, you want to ensure you’re selecting a design that they can get their sniffer into.

With that in mind, let’s explore the benefits of a slow feeder dog bowl.

1. Slow Down Their Eating

Some dogs are simply more food-driven than others. Their excitement gets the best of them and they eat faster than you can say “boop.”

But eating too quickly has a multitude of negative side effects:

Choking; Vomiting; Nausea; Gassiness; Bloat

There are many different reasons why dogs eat too fast. It may simply be a matter of hunger. Perhaps you need to speak to your vet about the right amount of food for your specific breed.

Also, if you have a rescue, the poor baby may have memories of food insecurity. Perhaps they remember those times when, if they didn’t dive right in and eat right away, someone else would come along and eat it for them.

Or they may just have a general competitive spirit, no different than we humans. Although the reasons may vary, the solution remains simple as you start to consider a slow feeder.

2. Lower Risk of Choking or Gagging

This is the most obvious sign that something needs to be done.

If you notice your dog “woofing” down his or her food, you definitely want to do everything you can to reduce the risk of blocking up their airways and having a real disaster on your hands.

3. Reduced Risk of Vomiting

Few things in life are worse than cleaning up your pet’s vomit from a brand new area rug in the living room. And, unfortunately, vomiting is all too common when they eat fast.

By slowing their role, you can almost instantly rule out this outcome for a pup who eats with too much excitement and enthusiasm.

4. Prevent Bloating

We humans complain about feeling bloated all the time. But, in dogs, it can actually be quite serious.

When this happens, their stomachs fill up beyond the usual capacity with food, liquid, or gas. Since they’re literally gulping down their food, it’s easy to see how air can become a factor.

This is an easy danger to avoid simply by introducing a slow feeder to their everyday lifestyle.

5. Improved Digestion

Digestion actually begins in dogs’ mouths – much like us. If they take a moment to digest smaller bites while they’re seeking out their next nibble, their whole system, from their mouths to their bellies, will have more time to do things right.

Basically, why overtax the digestive system when you don’t have to?

6. Increased Nutrient Intake

When we, or our pets, eat slower, we can also improve our nutrient intake. The stomach will fill more slowly and the body has time to incorporate the nutrients it's receiving.

Essentially, you’re giving their bodies the opportunity to absorb every last drop of goodness from that food you spend so much time and care to prepare.

7. Mental Stimulation

While most of the benefits of a slow eating dog bowl are physiological, there’s also a mental one. It’s a bit like when pet owners leave the house for the day and give their dog a Kong toy filled with peanut butter or treats. It gives them an activity to pursue as they try to get the treat out of the toy.

The same can be said for slow feeders. It gives your pup a little bit of a challenge while they work to figure out how to get their favorite food out of every last nook and cranny.

Are There Any Disadvantages of a Slow Feeder Dog Bowl?

A slow feeder dog bowl is likely to do a lot more good than harm. But, again, much like people, every dog has a different disposition. There is the slight chance your fur baby will get annoyed trying to dig for their dinner and stop eating.

If so, you run the risk of them being underfed and malnourished. But, see how it goes. Monitor their progress the first few times around. See if it’s a challenge they can rise to.

Aside from that, if your pet is overly aggressive in the pursuit of the prime aim, they may hurt their teeth or ingest some of the plastic.

Just monitor their progress in the early days. Perhaps you can consider a slightly less challenging slow feeder. (They come in many shapes and sizes). Also, to avoid the potential ingestion of plastic, you can consider any number of the stainless steel options out there on Amazon.

Consider a Slow Feeder for Your Dog Today

Really, there’s very little evidence showing a slow feeder to be a bad idea, outside of the potential for your fur baby to get discouraged and quit easily.

But, when you consider how important it is to slowly work those nutrients into their system at a healthy pace, it’s well worth a shot.

In the end, you can always go back to the old way or dole out smaller servings at a time. But, a slow feeder could be a nice addition to the overall health and wellness of man’s best friend.