If
you are a pet parent, chances are that you have played the “Bowl Game.” We have a stack of food/water bowls that we
no longer use. The main reason we don’t
use them is that we have changed dog breeds.
What we used with our German Shepherds and Golden Retriever wouldn’t
work for our miniature Schnauzer. Pierre
can and does use the same bowl our Schnauzer did. None of those bowls are appropriate for Bentley. Why?
What makes him so different? It
is all about those ears. Bentley and
Tucker, our Golden both drank water from a straight-sided bowl. Bentley’s ears would dip into the water and
he’d walk away leaving a water trail. He
now has the steep sided bowls and his long ears drape over the edges. Now he walks away with dry ears. Okay, he still trails water from his jowls,
but his ears are DRY!
One
of the gifts that we gave Bentley for his birthday was a slow feeding bowl from
Martha Stewart. We bought it at PetSmart
and it was under $20. The change in his
mealtime is incredible. Basset Hounds
are known to suffer from bloat, which can quickly become fatal. One cause is eating their food too fast and
drinking large amounts of water. Before
we changed to the slow feeder, he would be finished eating in less than two
minutes. After he ate, he would drink
water like a camel. Mealtime is now much
slower. It took him a couple of times to
adjust to it. The second time I fed him,
he got mad, and turned his back on it.
That was a first! He likes it now
and eats much slower. After he finishes, I pick his bowl up
along with their water dish and wash them both.
That way, he has to wait to drink and his bowls are clean.
This
infographic helps explain how to choose the right bowl for your dog. Regardless of the bowl best fit for your
breed, daily washing is a must for dog bowls including water. You can read the importance of washing your
pet’s dishes here.
Infographic courtesy of thatpetplace.com
Elevated Dog Bowls are great for
large or tall dogs that might have back or neck issues. You can refer to the infographic for the
right height for your dog.
Steep-sided Bowls are perfect for a
dog that's ears hang low and wobble to and fro.
It is better than tying them in a knot or a bow. When they lower their heads into these bowls,
their ears drape elegantly over the sides and out of the way.
Shallow Bowls are ideal for our
short-nosed and flat-faced friends. I
don’t want to name names, but you know who you are. These pups often have breathing problems and partial
obstruction of their upper respiratory system.
The shallower bowls make it easier to eat and drink without straining or
putting pressure on their throat and airway.
Deep Dishes are best for those
of you with longer noses. If your snout
is twice as long as your bowl is deep, it makes eating and drinking
uncomfortable. A deeper dish will help
our Collie, Sheltie, and Dachshund friends eat easier and drink much easier.
I hope this makes it easier for you to select your next food or
water bowl. At least now, whether your college football team won their Bowl Game or not, you can win yours!
It’s Friday and that means it’s time for our Pet Parade! Don’t hesitate to join in the Pet Parade. Remember, you don’t have to play an instrument or twirl a baton…there’s not even any marching in straight lines required! It is just fun to share your favorite post with others. As always, I am joined in the co-hosting duties with Rascal and Rocco, Basil the Bionic Cat Blog, Love is being owned by a Husky, and Jan’s Funny Farm. Hop along with the link up below.
That is a lot to think about,all I think about is it heavy enough to stop speedy from chucking it about hence a ceramic dog bowl,xx Rachel
ReplyDeleteWow a bowl for any muzzle. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteOf course, Bailie and I have long ear bowls! Remember, bloat is also caused by wild play after eating. Mom has us trained to eat, drink and nap for a minimum of an hour before we play or go back outside. It is very scary if it happens. Mom saw it a few times in Germany when she worked with her vet friend. Extremely painful and so often fatal. Stay safe and enjoy your bowls. BTW, I'm a super slow eater, always have been. I always start first and finish last ;)
ReplyDeleteThat is some great advice - it is funny though - both my boys love their elevated bowls and even their water dishes are all raised.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips for bowl choices!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWE had to go to the slope sided water bowl... not beclaws our ears got wet...butt beclaws I (Frankie Furter) am a Bowl Flipper... YES, I admit it... I like to Flip Bowls... and spill stuffs... and that is just how I roll. When mom got the New water bowls... I couldn't Flip it over and spill water EVERWHERE. Buzz Kill Not FUN... BORING in Fact... butt it surely does make Mom happy... So SHE would totally agree... get the Right Bowl fur the Job.
ReplyDeleteGreat bowl-choosing tips! The pups have a ceramic water dish for inside, a stainless steel one for playtime outside, collapsible water dishes for hikes, and stainless steel food bowls.
ReplyDeleteThe latter get washed after every meal, and the water dishes usually once per day ~ sometimes several times per day, depending on the amount of drool or grass that may be swimming in them....
We are actually going to start looking at slow feeder bowls for Koda. He seems to have a huge hunger lately and has started inhaling his food BOL!
ReplyDeleteღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Happy Pet Parade. Interesting info on feeding bowls.
ReplyDeleteYup, we have some extra bowls kicking around. Good info!
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
Well, thanks some real useful info. never thought about it.....however here with three Scotties....well them beards soak up water no matter what kinda bowl, we get water trials everywhere! with them beards come TRASH & DIRT, so we have to clean them twice a day. As for the speed eating, we learned how to slow them all down, so we got chewers and non gobbler eaters.
ReplyDeleteThe Mad Scots
What great bowl facts!! After years of trying (over 10) Mama finally found the right kind of bowls for us!!
ReplyDeleteSmileys!
Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
What a great post! I thought it was going to be about football games and then I thought you were going to come up with a whole song "it's all about the ear" lol.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about dog bowls recently, because I'm embarking on a project to re-organize my kitchen, and one of the things that has to go is all the pet dishes we no longer use. I like that infographic....other than the slow feeders and elevated feeders that we use, I never really thought too much about the different purposes for other dishes.
ReplyDeleteJan, Wag 'n Woof Pets