Slow Bowl

Trooper's breeder said he was "food motivated." That was an understatement! Trooper attacks his food like he's been in a POW camp for years. He's not food aggressive -- I can take the bowl away -- but he's very enthusiastic. He gulps food down so fast that Hubby and I are afraid he'll bloat. 

Bloat, also known as gastric dilation volvulus, is a serious condition where a dog's stomach fills with gas and twists. Quick eating/gulping air is a possible cause. Any deep-chested dog is susceptible to it. I hear stories about GSDs dying from it all too often.

To help slow down Trooper's eating, I got him the Happy Hunting Bowl. It's molded plastic and holds about 2 cups of kibble. The protrusions keep Trooper from inhaling his food. Getting into all the nooks and crannies forces him to take smaller bites. His eating time has gone from seconds to several minutes.

Pros:

• The bowl has a wide base. Otherwise Trooper could just flip it over and inhale the food off the floor. 
• There are no sharp, food trapping corners so it's easy to clean.

Cons:

• It's smaller than I imagined. 
• The nonslip strips are tiny and keep falling off the base of the bowl. I'm going to have to glue them in before I lose them forever. 

All in all, the Happy Hunting Bowl was worth the $8 on Amazon.-- K