Is your dog a crazy monster when it is eating? That is, your dog spends only a little time finishing meals. If so, you must try to reduce its eating speed — the slow feeder dog bowl is an ideal choice.
And do you want to figure out what it means for your dog's fast-eating habit? And is that bad for dog's health?
Then this article is an excellent reference to understand the benefits of a slow feeder dog bowl and some tips for choosing a wonderful slow feeder dog bowl. Besides there are also some methods you should apply when washing the dog bowl.
Here we go!
What is a slow feeder dog bowl?
Slow feeder bowls, or interactive feeders, are produced to reduce your dog's eating speed or there will be various health issues.
The ridges and barriers in a slow feeder create more work for your pup at mealtime, as the food is harder to access as quickly.
Some are designed to solve puzzles, so dogs must find their way around the obstructions erected in the bowl to get the food. And others are designed with dog slow feeder inserts to control their eating speed. All of them are helpful tools for reducing dogs' eating speed.
How wonderful the slow feeder bowl is, right?
But now you guys may hold questions like, why does a dog eat so fast? And how about the influence of eating so quickly all along? Can a slow feeder bowl solve some potential issues?
Never mind! It will be demonstrated one by one next.
Why does my dog eat so fast?
Eating fast is not suitable for your pet's health. This part will express why dogs eat so wildly and what will appear if dogs eat quickly.
To begin with, there are five reasons.
- Personal protection. Dogs regard eating as a perfectly reasonable pace. They are worried that you will take away their food anytime so that they will finish it as quickly as possible.
- Uncertainty of insecurity. This phenomenon will be more severe if you rescue a dog that once struggled between the streets.That is because this poor dog had to scout food around every corner exhaustedly when it lived outside. So it is unsurely about the next meal.
- Competition. Dogs have to eat quickly to prevent it from being eaten by others if you have at least two dogs. And after finishing their meal, they would try to steal food from dogs who eat slower. So you'd better feed them separately.Irregular meal time. Dogs will be confused about their next meal time if you feed them in no regular arrangement. So they have to eat a lot at once and quickly to ensure they don't starve for long before getting their irregular next meal.
- Unhealthy. Physical problems will cause your dog to become abnormally hungrier than before, such as diabetes, thyroid issues, parasites, and so on.
Ok, we clearly understand the reasons. Now it's time to find out the bad effect of fast eating habits.
How does eating fast hurt your furry friend, five potential issues have been shared as follows:
- Choking
- Gassiness
- Vomiting
- Bloat to dead if serious
- Nausea
We have learned about the reasons and bad influences of fast eating habits, so can slow feeder dog bowls reduce these risks of unhealthy pets?
If you ask me this question, I will say "YES" definitely.
Don't believe me?
Keep reading, and you can find the truth.
6 benefits of slow feeder dog bowl
A slow-feeder dog bowl is regarded as an essential tool for getting away from potential problems caused by eating fast. And it can also help cultivate the reasonable eating habits of your dog.
- Refrain from the danger of bloating. If your dog sucks up food like a starving ghost, it is at an urgent risk for GDV (gastric dilatation-volvulus), often expressed as bloating. It will become a life-threatening condition for your dog when it gets serious. Thanks the slow feeder bowl, which can avoid the dog's big bites, then help reduce this danger.
- Reduce the risk of choking and vomiting. A slow feeder bowl can help to avoid emergencies where food or something else gets stuck in the throat. So that there will not be choking or vomiting.
- Deceleration of the eating process then promotes a good eating habits. Since eating takes more time and energy, the slow food bowl gradually changes the speed at which your dog eats. Over time, eating slowly will become a natural behavior for your dog.
- Avoid overeating. On the one hand, a slow feeder bowl reduces the total amount of food, so dogs can't enjoy it over their stomach capacity. Besides, because dogs have to spend more time getting food, their mind will receive the signal when the stomach can't require more food.
- Improve digestion. Your dog wouldn't be able to gobble everything under the influence of a slow-feeder dog bowl, so the dog has to adjust to smaller mouthfuls. As a result, by lightening the load on the digestive system, your dog will eventually be improved in healthy digestion.
- Mental stimulation. How busy solving all the puzzles designed in a bowl, your dog will gradually spend their energy concentrating on getting food.
Now it's time to purchase your slow-feeder dog bowl!
I will introduce three typical slow feeder bowls to you. Then, you can think about it comprehensively and get a suitable one or more.
3 typical types of slow feeder dog bowl you can get
1. Plastic slow-feeder bowls
Plastic bowls are inexpensive and easy to get. They are created in numerous styles, colors, and sizes. And more important, it is improbable to break, even if your dog plays it all day.
But, because it is very difficult to clean, there will be many harmful bacteria. Besides, it can be scratched extremely easily. And several ingredients in it may be unhealthy for your dog and bad for the environment.
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| image source: chewy |
2. Stainless steel slow-feeder bowls
Stainless steel dog bowls are one of the common dishes you can get for your pup because of their ultimate ease, health, and safety feature.
However, you may be disturbed by an uncomfortable sound conducted by your dog when you want to enjoy quiet personal time. And there will not be design in various features.
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| image source: spunkyjunky |
Ceramic bowls can be decorated in many sizes and styles. And they will not be carried around the room when dogs are eating. However, they are easy to break and expensive, so you must be careful to store them after using them.
Do you prefer stainless steel?
Is ceramic one most beautiful?
It's all up to your interest. Then what can we do to avoid the quick eating habits of dogs? And how should we wash the dog bowl? That's wonderful if you create effective methods, but it doesn't matter if you do not because I will give you many useful ways in the coming paragraphs.
Other 4 tips for how to stop a dog from eating too fast
- You must feed your dog at least in the morning and evening every day. That will make a regular eating habit for your dog. Dogs have a clear mind about what time they can enjoy the food.
- Put food puzzles in a bowl. They are similar to slow feeders. They could prevent dogs from taking large gulps of food, which can generally reduce their eating speed.
- Use your hand to feed it. Many dogs like to be fed by hand. It is a good action to control the dog's intake and an ideal time to train your dog.
- Give your dog a cookie sheet or muffin pan. When eating these, your dog will be required to take tiny bites and pick up numerous pieces with its tongue (which takes a considerable amount of time), causing it to consume much more slowly.
7 tips for washing slow feeder dog bowls
- The bowl needs to be emptied, then soaked.
- Clean your dog's food bowl after every meal. You can wash the water bowl less frequently, but it needs to be completely emptied, sanitized, and refilled at least once a week.
- Scrub it by hand with hot soapy water, then rinse it thoroughly. It is essential that you need not only clean the leftover food particles from the dog's bowl but also from the dirt and pathogens in the dog's mouth.
- Sanitize your dog's bowls. You can use the same dish soap that you use for your dishes. And use a separate sponge for your dog's bowl.
- Place dog bowls in a bleach solution of 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) bleach per gallon of water or four teaspoons bleach per quart for about 1 minute, once a week.
- Dry the bowl. Put it in a dry and safe place. If you have washed your dog bowls by hand, you can use a dry, clean rag dedicated explicitly to pet items or set them on a drying pad to air dry.
- Replace the bowl regularly if it needs.
Final notes
You must keep a regular feeding arrangement for your dog. Not only the eating speed should be a concern for pets, but also the emotions have to be cared for. So no matter how busy or tired you are, try to play with your furry friends for a while as much as possible because they are always looking forward to touching you and feeling you!
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