I have a gobbler. He eats too fast and inhales his food. There can be vomiting. His name is Sam and he is a Yellow Lab. If you have a Labrador Retriever you understand my predicament 100%.
Labs love to eat more than almost anything and our boy has been trouble from the get-go. From "eating" (more like swallowing as quickly as possible) socks, towels, tissues, and anything else he can vacuum up before we can pry open his mouth (including a sewing needle, with thread attached, resulting in $1,500 surgery), he also polishes off a bowl of kibble in record time. We curtailed the um...regurgitation...somewhat by switching to premium, salmon-is-the-first-ingredient sensitive stomach food but he still occasionally can't keep it down if he's gobbled at mealtime. He also sometimes inhales a kibble or two and has to cough it out.
My daughter saw an ad for a puzzle/maze shaped bowl that reportedly slows down eating. This seemed like something we should at least try and I was happy to find one at the local chain pet store. The Fun Feeder Slo Bowl helps prevent doggie obesity and bloat. The kibble or soft food is added to the sturdy, no-slip plastic bowl in little troughs. The dog has to lick up the food and work his way around the concentric rings to finish it off.
I had to wait for the kids to get home before I fed him for the first time in his new bowl, but it worked like a charm! Sam took about 4 times as long to eat up all the kibble. It definitely slowed him down and while he was a bit confused at first, he seems to love it now. While the bowl is dishwasher safe, I am not adding it with my dishes. I simply let it soak in hot, soapy water and rinse it off. It holds 4 cups of either kind of food and is made of food safe materials.
I am very impressed with this product and recommend it if you have a gobbler too. I bought the larger size which costs about $26 Canadian. You can see what's available (there are several choices of size and colour) at the website HERE. I think this new bowl has solved our canine eating frenzy problem for good.
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