Outward Hound Slow Feeder
Where’s the beef?!
Working in the veterinary field and especially the emergency side of veterinary medicine, there has always been one thing that scares me more than anything else: GDV. You may have heard the term “Bloat” used, but that’s just the beginning! Bloat is a life-threatening condition that occurs when your pet’s stomach fills with air, and GDV (Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus) is when the bloated stomach then twists inside of the body, making it impossible to get blood circulated to vital organs. Most commonly associated with larger breed dogs with deep chests (i.e. Great Danes, German Shepherds, Dobermans and quite often Labradors too!), it can happen to any dog. It is most often associated with eating or drinking very quickly, exercising after meals and many other factors, such as genetics and predisposition to GDV. Many factors such as the genetics of a dog are out of our control, however we can certainly try to avoid some of these causes that ARE in our control!
Eating too quickly could be considered to number 1 cause of GDV in my opinion, and though I am certainly not a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), I have worked with many for 15 years and would go so far as to say every one of them would agree. It’s always the first conversation when getting a giant breed puppy in the clinic- you NEED to make sure that owners understand how dangerous and deadly it is and what to look for.
As for what we can do to prevent it and lower the risk factors of GDV? There are quite a few products on the market for things to slow your canine companion down when they get a little too excited for meal time- I personally use the Kong toy that is cone shaped and fill it with food, which makes Star (my lab puppy) have to really work to get the food out, otherwise she will inhale it without chewing! This can be a lot of work though, and requires me to split her feedings into multiple small ones throughout the day.
Most people in this situation elect to use a slow feeder system for their dogs, which are normally just bowls with valleys and ridges in them, making it impossible for your pet to gorge themselves too quickly on their food! Many products work well, but the one I would recommend is the Outward Hound Fun Feeder Slo Bowl. This product is reasonably priced, well made, and available online. This single product could mean a lot in the long run- GDV usually always requires surgery, and that surgery is about 1,000x more costly than the slow feeder is! Remember, prevention is better than treatment!
Pros:
Easy to clean- dishwasher safe! (top rack only)
Reliable
Great price
Quality material
Slows eating- up to 10 x slower than previous
Non-Slip bottom
Cons:
Made of plastic, which is not ideal compared to steel bowls, but the plastic used is food-safe and BPA, PVC and phthalate free.
Verdict: 8/10
Below you will find links to the products talked about in this review.
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