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April 8, 2014

Dinner in the Slow Lane

I’m limping along on an oldĀ computerĀ this week, so my digital consumption has significantly slowed down. Digital gorging is no good for me, but I’ve recently been a bit more concerned about Eko’s food gorging. Every morning Eko gets breakfast from his Kong wobbler. It’s a fun challenge for
I’m limping along on an oldĀ computerĀ this week, so my digital consumption has significantly slowed down. Digital gorging is no good for me, but I’ve recently been a bit more concerned about Eko’s food gorging. Every morning Eko gets breakfast from his Kong wobbler. It’s a fun challenge for him and it significantly extends meal time. Until this past week I fed Eko dinner out of a regular bowl, but for some reason he now seems to vacuum the food faster than ever before. Speed eating is never good for dogs, especially larger pups like Eko who are at risk of bloat. I wanted to slow Eko down and add some variety to his routine so I recently purchased a Slo-bowl.

The slobowl (~$13 on Amazon) uses a simple series of ridges to prevent Eko’s usual face-smashing eating style from working

By distributing the kibble between the ridges, the slobowl prevents big gulps and promotes smaller mouthfuls

“Hey Will, this bowl may prevent fast eating, but you prevent ANY eating with all your photos. Can a guy have his dinner now, or what?”

The wobbler is great for breakfast when my downstairs neighbors are out of the house, but I think they would quickly want to strangle meĀ if I let Eko smash the wobbler on their ceiling during dinner. The slobowl offers a quieter alternative for slowing Eko down.Ā I worried Eko might just flip the thing over, butĀ he was too focused on eating to consider that option. The skids on the bottom of the bowl also help keep the bowl in place.

To get at the kibble Eko has to work for it. It’s not as fun as the wobbler, but I like that it’s a different sort of challenge. Luckily the slo(bber)-bowl is easily washed

There is no learning curve and I was happy to see that Eko was not frustrated or upset by the bowl. He was diligent and happy to work for every last kibble

I have only had the slobowl for a week but I consider it a great investment. Eko will continue to use the wobbler for breakfast and the slobowl for dinner.

If your pup is a fast eater, I highly recommend checking out any number of toys/puzzles/bowls designed to slow them down.Ā TheseĀ options all provide for a healthier and more engaging meal time. Eko is undoubtedly more content after meals now, so as an added bonus, you’ll no longer have your dog vacuum their meal and then immediately look to you for more.

Comments for Dinner in the Slow Lane

  1. scarlybobs says:

    Awesome, I LOVE puzzle bowls! šŸ™‚

    We have one that we use for Kasper (Zoey eats slow enough as it is hahaha) but it’s nowhere near as intricate or fun-looking as Eko’s! I may have to get looking for a similar one šŸ˜‰

  2. fredrieka says:

    when I came to my forever home I inhaled all my food. Now I relax and eat slow chewing every piece..

  3. I have such a thingy too, with hearts… so I’m starving, because I can’t vacuum my food, but I’m starving with love :o)

  4. Tiffany F. says:

    We have the wobbler but haven’t use it in a long time because it’s a bit messy. Tonto thinks it’s a good idea to slap it at full force to get the most of each gentle “nudge”. I’ll have to check this bowl out!

  5. I wish we knew about this when Cody was around. He used to sometimes eat so fast he would throw up whatever he ate. I will definitely remember this one for the next pup.

  6. mollieandalfie says:

    Believe it or not, I am a lady BOL.. I eat one bit of kibble at a time. Bit different with a sausage BOL. xxxooxxxx

    Mollie and Alfie

  7. raisingdaisy says:

    Great to know, we’ll keep it in mind if Daisy ever becomes a gobble-hound. šŸ˜‰

  8. Marcela says:

    Will, thanks a million for the info. Bella, our foster failure, sounds like a vacuum cleaner when she eats. She inhales the food and I am always afraid that she’d get torsion so I was looking for an alternative way of feeding her. I am going to check out this product and hope that it’ll work for Bella. Thanks.

  9. Pat Sieloff says:

    Looks like a great idea, but….. We’ve been owned by Rhodesian Ridgebacks for almost 20 years. The only thing we would worry about is that our various Ridgeback breeders have always told us not to use any type of plastic bowl as it can leech the color out of RR noses (not just a RR phenomenon BTW). Unless you have a liver nose RR, you want your RR to have a black nose. Maybe this bowl is made out of some new space age plastic material that won’t cause nose bleaching, but you may want to check it out.

  10. What a brilliant idea someone had with this bowl – fast eating is a problem with cats too but we just give Sam small bits at a time instead of a big pile…..he’s always had digestion problems though no matter how much or when he’s fed. Anyway, love this bowl and obviously Eko approves too!

    Pam

  11. Emmadog says:

    Mom was looking at these bowls at the store the other day for Bailie. She liked the pink flower one but decided not to get one right now. She is a speed eater but has slowed down a bit with time.

  12. I need to look into one of those for Dakota for sure. Cody (being a cat) would DEFINITELY tip it over!

  13. pawedblog says:

    What a great idea! None of my three are gobblers, which is a good thing! But if they could come up with something to stop them pinching out of each others bowls, that would be welcome!
    Hugs, Carrie (Myfie, Ellie and Millie) x

  14. Slo-bowls are awesome! We sell out of them where I work in just about every color. I hope Eko likes the challenge!

  15. I’ve been thinking about investing in these bowls for my crew. Thanks for the review, Will.

  16. We also have our breakfast in our Kongs and Sammy has a slobowl for dinner – his doesn’t have as many ridges as yours though, yours is very cool.
    Wally & Sammy

  17. Misaki says:

    I used to have something like that but luckily I don’t need it anymore, partly cos I get extra big kibble which takes aggges to eat

  18. fozziemum says:

    That’s a great bowl!! we feed the boys breakfast and dinner as a preventative against bloat also..Forrest being a big dog is more at risk..both certainly Hoover their meals but not too fast…this bowl is an awesome idea for the super scoffer!! hugs Fozziemum

  19. Boomdeeadda says:

    Wow, that genius. Could have really used that with Buddy, who was also an Olympic eater.

  20. We need one of that over here! šŸ˜‰

  21. I’ve been considering one for Artemis because she tends to go a little fast and then ends up being gassy for the rest of the night after dinner -.-

    I’m definitely looking into this brand though, thanks!

  22. Jack isn’t too bad or too fast, but I still bet this is a good investment for him. THanks for the review and the good pics.

  23. This is great! Going to get one for my Little Brother’s Rhodesian mix!

  24. lindadianefeldt says:

    Thanks for the suggestion. The bowl came yesterday and it works. This has to be healthier – and makes more sense than elevated bowls. My Rhodesian Ridgeback always behaved as though she had been starved for a week and this was also her last meal ever. It took over two minutes to finish breakfast, which included yogurt. Compared with the usual three gulps. Nala gets fed three times a day, she set the mealtimes at 8, 11:30 and 3:30. I work form home, so that is fine with me.

  25. I need a cat one this looks great

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