Does your Sheltie inhale their food like a vacuum cleaner? Do they get hiccups, bloating, or even vomit after meals? If so, you're overdue a slow feeder bowl.
When Howard was a puppy he nibbled his kibble gracefully throughout the day. But when we brought Piper home, mealtimes became frantic. And if we accidentally fed them too close together, they'd resource guard like hell, growling and breaking into fights. Feeding them in separate areas stopped the fights, but dinner was still a 20-second frenzy of snarfing, hiccups, and bloating. This is plain bad for dogs because of:
Bloating and Air Swallowing. Gulping food down at high speed causes dogs to swallow large amounts of air, leading to bloating, burping, and post-meal hiccups.
Poor Digestion. Digestion starts in the mouth, where food is broken down by mechanical chewing and salivary enzymes. Dogs that swallow kibble whole skip this step, increasing the chances of indigestion, regurgitation, and vomiting.
Hunger and Dissatisfaction. Eating too quickly doesn't allow time for satiety signals to kick in. Dogs that finish their dinner in seconds still feel hungry, leading to begging, scavenging, and aggression.
Switching Our Shelties to Slow Feeder Bowls
After we switched to slow feeder bowls, dinnertime became so much calmer. Slow feeders work by making it physically harder for dogs to gobble food at speed. Instead, they have to eat around the obstacles in smaller bites and chew at a controlled pace.
The maze and spiral designs prevent your dog from face-planting in his dinner, making him selectively take up small amounts of food at a time.
Today there are many slow feeders available. To help you choose, I analyzed three bestsellers on Amazon:
#1. Outward Hound Slo Bowl - Most Popular & Biggest Range
This bowl features a maze-like design that turns mealtime into a stimulating mental activity. Trials show it can slow eating by up to 10x while providing enrichment for dogs. The original Slo Bowl has a deep circular labyrinth, ideal for Shelties with their suspisciously long noses. The range includes several advanced feeders involving sliders, layers, and wobbling, so if your dog masters this one, you can advance them onto the slowest level Wobble Bowl.
#2. LickiMat Wobble - Hybrid Slow Feeder & Lick Mat
If you feed mostly wet food, consider smearing it across this lick mat in bowl form. It's flexible, being made from food-grade rubber, and wobbly, which makes it more of an eating challenge. The textured interior encourages licking to promote saliva production for better digestion, as well as reducing anxiety. The LickiMat isn't as messy as regular lick mats and is dishwasher-safe.
#3. AIPERRO Slow Feeder - Most Durable with Stainless Steel
This stainless steel slow feeder is much more durable: you can drop it without fear of shattering and your dog can chew it with glee. It's bacteria resistant and easier to clean by hand than the more complex maze designs. The raised elements promote slower eating although note that the pits are shallower than others so it's best for smaller dogs. Sold as a two-pack.
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