Why are stainless steel bowls better for dogs

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 18, 2024

Contributions sourced from

The Effects of Stainless Steel Bowls on Dogs

When it comes to choosing dog bowls for your pup, you'll be met with a wide variety of size, style and material choices. In addition to selecting a bowl that that will hold an appropriate volume of food to meet your dogs needs as he grows, other factors come into play. Stainless steel bowls offer a wide range of pros compared with other types of dog dishes.

Durability

Stainless steel bowls are durable and rust-proof, and can stand up to even the most ambitious chewing dog. If your pup has been known to destroy plastic bowls in the past, give stainless steel a try. You'll save your dog from the potential of cut tongue, gums and paw pads, which can occur if your dog tries to rip apart a plastic bowl and ends up getting caught on sharp edges.

Safety

Dog food particles can get caught in cracks and crevices of scratched plastic bowls as well as in chips and cracks of ceramic bowls. If not cleaned and disinfected very carefully, bacteria can build up in these areas and make your dog sick. Stainless steel bowls are extremely hygienic and easy to clean using regular dish-washing soap.

Noise

Stainless steel bowls can be noisy of your pup likes to pick them up, drop them or clang them around. Look for weighted bowls and/or bowls with a rubber ant-slip pad around the bottom to hold it in place. A lipless stainless steel bowl will help keep your dog from walking off with his bowls and hiding them.

No Chemicals

Many molded plastic bowls are manufactured with chemicals, which can expose your dog to dangerous toxins over time. Some dogs have allergies to certain plastics. Stainless steel bowls don't present this hazard, promoting a positive long-term impact on your pets overall health and well-being.

Heat/Cold

While stainless steel dog bowls have a lot of benefits, you need to be aware of a few drawbacks. During warm months, water left outside in a stainless steel bowl will get hot faster than water in some other bowls and therefore the water may not be as refreshing to your dog -- meaning he'll drink less, and that's a bad thing. Concurrently, stainless steel bowls used outside in winter have the potential to be extra cold and will harden wet foot to the bowl, making it more difficult for your dog to access and less likely he'll drink enough water.

Ceramic Dog Bowls vs. Stainless Steel Dog Bowls: Which to Choose?

Dog bowls come in a wide variety of materials, all of which have their advantages and disadvantages. Most commonly, they come in plastic, glass, ceramic, and stainless-steel forms. Unless you have a young puppy, plastic bowls should be avoided, as dogs will chew these up in a matter of minutes and potentially ingest bits of plastic, which can cause a host of health problems, both dental and digestive. Glass can break easily due to an enthusiastic pooch and should be kept for older, calmer dogs.

That leaves two optionsceramic dog bowls and stainless steel dog bowls, as the most common and well-tested choices. But which is the right option for your dog? We put both these options to the test to find out which material really reigns supreme.

Ceramic Dog Bowls

Ceramic dog bowls are widely available, come in a wide variety of sizes and styles, and are often beautifully designed and aesthetically pleasing. These bowls are usually glazed on the outside, making them easy to clean and dishwasher safe. Ceramic bowls are heavy, so are less likely to be scraped along the floor while your dog is feeding, and your pooch will likely be unable to carry them away to the far reaches of your house or yard.

Before buying a ceramic dog bowl, make sure that it is labeled as food safe or lead-free, as some of the glazes used to seal these bowls can contain lead and other potentially harmful ingredients. Ceramic bowls can easily chip or break when dropped, and these small cracks and chips can collect harmful bacteria, even after thoroughly washing them. These cracks can also create sharp edges and shards, which could hurt your pooch while feeding.

Ceramic bowls are also comparatively expensive, especially the bowls with complicated patterns and designs.

Widely available
Come in a wide variety of colors and styles
Customizable
Dishwasher safe
Heat-resistant
Wont move while feeding

Can chip and break easily
Cracks and chips can harbor harmful bacteria
May end up with sharp edges
Expensive

Stainless-Steel Dog Bowls

Stainless steelis the go-to choice for dog bowls. They are by far the most durable and widely available and are easy to clean and dishwasher safe. They also will not rust, wont easily scratch or dent, and are resistant to high temperatures. Stainless-steel dog bowls will survive a fall off a countertop and are lightweight too. They are also affordable, as being so widely used drives prices down. Because stainless steel does not scratch or crack easily, it is the most hygienic option, as bacteria cannot easily survive on the surface. Thorough cleaning will remove any potentially harmful bacteria quickly and easily.

Make sure you buy a stainless-steel bowl with a non-slip rim to prevent the bowl from sliding across the floor while feeding, causing spillage! Also, be sure to buy food-grade stainless-steel bowls that are specifically made for pets. Some stainless steel bowls may contain lead or other metal toxins. While stainless-steel bowls arent that much to look at and dont come in the variety of colors and designs that ceramic bowls do, they are durable and long-lasting and have stood the test of time among dog owners.

Durable
Wont crack or scratch easily
Resistant to high temperatures
Lightweight
Easy to clean
Hygienic

May slide around without a non-slip rim
Do not come in a variety of colors or designs

Other Considerations

While the construction material is arguably the most important factor to take into consideration, the style of bowl that you purchase is important too. Dogs with long muzzles and ears will appreciate a deeper bowl, while dogs with flat faces like Pugs will do well with shallow bowls. Large dogs like Great Danes will benefit from raised or elevated bowls. These consist of a raised platform with a bowl embedded inside, and they are believed to help prevent gastrointestinal issues and are more comfortable for these giant breeds.

If you have a dog that tends to gobble up food in seconds, you may consider purchasing a slow-feed bowl. These bowls contain raised ridges inside the bowl to force your dog to take smaller bites of food at a time and thus eat slower.

Conclusion

In conclusion, stainless-steel dog bowls offer the best durability, are the most hygienic, and are the most cost-effective option for a bowl for your dog. They are also lightweight and wont rust, and even the biggest dog is unlikely to break a stainless-steel bowl.

That being said if you own a small, calm, or older dog, a ceramic dog bowl still has benefits, as well as pleasing aesthetics. Lapdogs are unlikely to break these bowls, and they are perfectly fine if kept clean.

Featured Image Credit: Jan Dix, Shutterstock

2 Best Flat-Faced Dog Bowls (12+ Tested & Reviewed)

To keep the lights on, we receive affiliate commissions via some of our links. Our review process.

Is your flat-faced pooch a messy eater? Or, maybe your short-snouted friend has difficulty eating every last piece of kibble.

Your dog isnt the problem. Its his bowl!

For our flat-faced pups, eating from a traditional dog bowl can be the equivalent of competing in a marathon it isnt easy.

Thats where a flat-faced dog bowl comes in. These bowls are designed specifically for your squished-faced friend. Cleaner mealtimes and easy breathing are just two of the benefits a flat-faced dog bowl can offer.

At DogLab, we spent 80+ hours testing and reviewing over 12 different bowls to find the most durable, highest-quality and suitable flat-faced dog bowls available.

All to answer one simple question

Which flat-faced dog bowl is best for your dog?

Want the answer? Read on!

What is a flat-faced dog and why do they need a special bowl?

A flat-faced dog refers to any breed that has a pushed in snout like they ran full speed into a wall and had their face squashed.

The correct term for flat-faced dogs is actually brachycephalic. It describes any dog that has a bottom jaw longer than their upper jaw making the muzzle appear flattened or squashed inward.^[1]

I find the word brachycephalic as difficult to pronounce as I do to type it. So for the purpose of this review, I simply refer to them as flat-faced dogs.

Some breeds are obviously flat-faced. Pugs are cute and all, but there is no escaping that they look like they have been hit in the face with a frying pan.

Others, like a Boxer, could be considered semi-flat.

Cute as they may be, flat-faced dogs generally have reduced airways (their nostrils and windpipe). This can lead to problems breathing, which may be why your pooch just sits there, huffing and wheezing.^[2]

This poses a particular problem during mealtime. You see With a traditional dog bowl, your flat-faced dog has to smoosh his face inside. The walls of the bowl press hard up against the nose, making it difficult to breathe through the nose.

As a result, your flat-faced dog eats faster, inhaling air through the mouth as he goes. As we discovered when we ranked the best slow-feed dog bowls, this is something you dont want.

Inhaling air while eating can lead to dogs suffering from choking, bloat, vomiting or even excessive farting.

You may even find that your pup chomps down on a large mouthful of kibble, then spits it out next to the bowl. Dont get angry because he made a mess he is doing this because it is easier to eat from the ground than suffocating in a bowl.

Another problem is that flat-faced dogs have a tendency to smoosh their face into their meal. While this is less of an issue with kibble, wet and raw foods can end up smeared all over the folds on your pups face.

In addition to this, traditional bowls are designed with a longer snout in mind. A dog with a longer snout can easily pick up pieces of kibble that rest where the side and bottom of the dog bowl meet.

Flat-faced faced dogs eat with their entire face in a scooping motion, arching their heads forward and upward as they eat. Such are the joys of having an underbite.

When a bowl is full of kibble, flat-faced dogs can make do with a traditional dog bowl by eating from the center. Dont be surprised if they make a mess, though. As the food nears the end, however, eating becomes more of a struggle

You see, the short snout on flat-faced dogs can make it difficult to get to every last piece of kibble, often making a huge mess in the process.

French Bulldogs, in particular, are notorious for chasing kibble all around the bottom of their bowls.

If your pup leaves pieces of his meal behind, at the edges, or is taking a frustratingly long time to finish dinner, then your bowl is to blame.

Thats where a flat-faced dog bowl comes in.

These bowls are designed to make mealtimes easier for your short-snouted pooch. How does it accomplish this? Well, a flat-faced bowl generally has the following features:

Wide opening so that your pup doesnt have to squash his face inside the bowl.
Tilted shape so that your pup doesnt have to smear his meal all over his face.
Slanted rear so that your pups nose wont be pressed up against the side of the bowl, allowing him to breathe through his nose while he eats.

Nothing fancy, right? You would be amazed at just how these simple additions make mealtime more enjoyable for your pup.

During testing, we interviewed dozens of dog owners and their smushed-faced friends. From tiny Pugs and Pekingese to hulking Boxers and Bullmastiffs, those who had tried a flat-faced dog bowl said that after seeing the benefits, there was no going back.

Based on our review, we agree. If you own one of the following

Affenpinscher
Boston Terrier
Boxer
Brussels Griffon
Bulldog
Cane Corso
English Toy Spaniel
French Bulldog
Japanese Chin
Mastiff
Pekingese
Pug
Rottweiler
Shar Pei
Shih Tzu
Tibetan Spaniel

Or similar, then consider buying a flat-faced dog bowl.

But if your dog has a longer snout, then there isnt much gained from using a flat-faced dog bowl.

Our testing process

At DogLab, we take reviewing darn seriously. We never recommend a product we wouldnt give to our own precious pooches. Thats why we have thoroughly reviewed every flat-faced dog bowl featured in this guide.

By the end of the process, we spent a combined 80+ hours researching, testing and reviewing the most popular (and even some unpopular) flat-faced dog bowls on the market.

No dogs were overfed or starved during our testing process. In fact, each of our pups loved assisting us as we reviewed the bowls. And who could blame them? This is anyones dream job!

Want to learn more about our testing process? Read on!

Rounding up the flat-faced dog bowls

It all started with choosing which flat-faced dog bowls to test.

As we soon learned, there are not many bowls designed specifically with flat-faced dogs in mind. Ordinarily, we first narrow down our selection. But with so few flat-faced dog bowls on the market, we decided to review them all!

But thats not all we tested

To date, we have tested hundreds of different dog bowls, in various styles and shapes. During testing, we noticed something interesting

Some bowls offered flat-faced dogs a considerably better eating experience than others. Even though they were not advertised as being flat-faced-friendly, they featured low sides, curved bases and a wide opening perfect for shorter snouts.

So, we rounded up these bowls too just to see how well they performed against the bowls designed specifically for smushed faces.

All up, we put 9 different brands to the test.

Bone Dry
Enhanced Pet
iBard
Love N Creatures
Mountainsmith
Our Pets
FilliP
Outward Hound
Super Design

With our list complete, it was time to go shopping. Each flat-faced dog bowl featured in our review was purchased from Amazon.com. Yep, at DogLab, we buy every product at the same price you would pay.

Once our flat-faced dog bowls were delivered, it was time to test them!

Havent seen our other dog bowl reviews yet? Check em out here.

How did we test the flat-faced dog bowls?

At DogLab, we only recommend products that we would give to our own pups. Thats why every dog bowl featured in this review was painstakingly tested by our team of doggy testers so that you can buy with confidence.

To find the number one flat-faced dog bowl we tested for the following:

Durability How did the bowl hold up to rough dogs?
Movability How easy was it to flip the bowl or push it around during feeding?
Suitability Was the bowl easy-to-use for different breeds and sizes of dogs?
Ease of cleaning How easy was each bowl to clean?
Improvement Was their noticeable improvement in feeding when compared to a traditional dog bowl?

Each of these factors contributed to which bowls we recommend. Our top picks excel in all of these areas.

Our testing observations

While testing the qualities listed above, we made some observations that are worth mentioning.

Flat-faced bowls are for flat-faces only

Okay, so you wouldnt go out and buy a flat-faced dog bowl for a long-snouted dog, right? But if you have one on hand, then you may decide to use it.

Dont.

Out of curiosity, I tested our top pick with Harper, my Border Collie German Shepherd mix. With her long snout, she definitely isnt the target market for this bowl.

Ordinarily, Harper is a delicate and refined eater. But when she ate from a flat-faced dog bowl, she couldnt help but make a mess. And not just a small mess. Her meal went everywhere.

The low, shallow bowl didnt pair well with her eating style. I was surprised at just how much of a mess was actually made!

As if the name wasnt a clue, flat-faced dog bowls should be used with flat faces only. If you have a couple of dogs, and not all are flat-faced, buy each their own bowl.

Flat-faced bowls are for kibble only

Sorry wet and raw feeders. Flat-faced dog bowls are not going to help your pooch. Every single bowl we reviewed failed the wet food test.

The biggest problem is that none of these bowls are weighted. While they didnt move around when our pups could easily access their kibble, it was an entirely different story when using canned food.

Wet food transformed our pups from Bulldogs into bulldozers. They smooshed their faces against the bowl and pushed it all around the room. Placing the bowl against a wall cut down on the movement but not the mess.

The reason? Flat-faced dog bowls rely on easy access as a way to stop both mess and movement. No flat-faced bowl was weighted. Even with a no-skid rubber base, our pups had little difficulty sliding the bowls around when they were in a head-butting contest with their meal.

If you are looking for a weighted bowl, ceramic is really your only choice.

Goofy dogs can outsmart flat-faced dog bowls

This point is only really true of slanted dog bowls, those where the rear is higher than the front like the picture above.

Bowls with this design only work if your dog approaches it from the front. Most dogs do this instinctively. After all, eating from the back of the bowl isnt comfortable because the edge of the bowl digs into the pups neck. When this happened, our dogs figured out something was wrong and repositioned themselves to the front of the bowl.

All except one.

Whatever direction our Pug started eating from, she remained there until she finished her meal. When she ate from the back, she huffed and wheezed the entire way through her meal. Even worse, kibble flew all over the place as she pushed it over the low front lip of the bowl.

If your pup is more excited about eating than comfort, then I have a solution for you. Press the back of the bowl hard against the wall. This way, our Pug could only approach from the front. Problem solved!

Meet our team of flat-faced testers

At DogLab, reviews are important. I dont know about you, but my dog is the most precious thing in my life. As a result, we put products to the test.

Thats why our testing team thoroughly evaluates each product we recommend with paws-on use.

We assembled a team of flat-faced testers to interact with, observe and rate how well each bowl performed.

Where possible, we source testers from Fetch A Friend Rescue, a rescue organization that takes in dogs from local shelters that would otherwise be put down, giving them a second chance to find a forever home. If you live in Upstate New York and are looking for a four-legged family friend, check them out!

Let me introduce the testers

1. Olivia

Breed: Valley Bulldog

Olivia is two flat-faced dogs in one a Bulldog Boxer mix. While you may not be able to tell, this is her happy face. Cursed with a Bulldogs permanently grumpy expression, she shows her happiness by wiggling back and forth. While Olivia loves the outdoors, her enthusiasm only extends for half of a walk to the local dog park. When its time to go, she just lays there until someone caves in and carries her home not an easy task given her size. Her aggressive eating style really put the flat-faced dog bowls to the test.

2. Jasmine

Breed: Pug

Jasmine is an adorable, chubby Pug that has perfected the art of begging. She can hear a bag of Doritos opening from half a mile away. Before you have the first tortilla chip to your mouth, she magically appears at your feet, staring at you with her goofy grin. Jasmine is a messy eater and ordinarily uses a traditional dog bowl. She benchmarked whether or not using a flat-faced dog bowl improved feeding.

3. Barney

Breed: Shih Tzu

Barney is currently the oldest of our flat-faced testers. At 10 years old, he considers himself a guard dog and refuses to wander more than 6 feet from his owner and growls intimidatingly at strangers. However, once introduced, he will happily accept all the belly rubs you can give. His cute underbite got quite a work out as he tested the various flat-faced dog bowls.

4. Champ

Breed: American Bulldog mix

Due to the need for flat-faced testers, Champ is the only rescue dog featured in this guide. Champ had a sad start to his life. He spent his first two years chained up in a yard, exposed to harsh weather. He is a loveable ball of muscle that prefers to communicate through cute grunting noises rather than barks. Champ plays rough and was perfect for observing the durability of our flat-faced bowls he managed to break one during our tests!

Good news! Champ has been adopted.

The best flat-faced dog bowls

Sometimes, we review a product category where there arent many choices. Other times, the majority of the products we review perform poorly.

In the case of dog bowls for flat-faced dogs, it was both.

With such slim pickings, we can only confidently recommend two flat-faced dog bowls. One is a clear winner for most dogs, and the other is a travel-friendly option.

Lets start by looking at our top pick:

Best Overall Bowl For Flat-Faced Dogs

Enhanced Pet Bowl

A durable stainless steel bowl specifically designed for flat-faced breeds of all sizes.

Our top pick outclassed the competition by a long shot. It was the only flat-faced bowl that could be used by dogs of all sizes.

Many users reported that this bowl made all the difference to their finicky eater. Once swapping over to the Enhanced Pet Bowl, their scrunchy-faced dog was licking the bowl clean being comfortable while eating made all the difference. Owners of Frenchies held it in particularly high regard.

We agree. We especially loved the ridge at the back of the bowl. As your dog pushes food around his bowl, it slides down this ridge and back into his mouth.

Olivia, our Bulldog tester, is one of the messiest eaters you will ever meet. Each mealtime is followed by 5 minutes of cleaning the area around her bowl kibble and crumbs scatter everywhere. Some days, she becomes so frustrated that she dumps the entire contents of her bowl all over the floor.

What a difference this bowl made. As Olivia enthusiastically gulped down her meal, there was almost no mess at all. In her excitement, a few pieces of kibble tipped over the lower edge of the bowl, but even so, Id call that a success.

As I touched on earlier, flat-faced dogs come in all sizes. The Enhanced Pet Bowl was the only one designed for flat-faced dogs that came in a range of styles:

Size	Dimensions	Capacity (Kibble)
Small	6 x 1 inches	1 cup
Medium	8 x 2 inches	2 cups
Large	9 x 3 inches	3 cups

Because of this, both our pint-sized Pug and hulking Bulldog could eat their meal from the same bowl, although admittedly they did each need a different size.

In fact, if you have a medium to large dog, such as a Bulldog or Bullmastiff, then you should stop reading here. This is the only flat-faced bowl that is appropriate for your dog.

Now, I should warn you that the effectiveness of this bowl relies on ordering the correct size. I was initially concerned that this error could result in losing money and being stuck with an unusable bowl.

Fortunately, Enhanced Pets customer service is great. We called up and claimed we had accidentally ordered the wrong size. Not a problem. All we had to do was send it in, and they would replace it with the correct size.

We tested the bowl on grass, hardwood and carpet. The rubber base gripped strong, and neither of our pups was able to push their bowl around while eating. As for flipping, even our clumsy Pug, leaning with all her weight on the bowl, couldnt tip it.

The rubber rim has a drawback, however. Since it cant be removed, you need to hand wash this bowl. I base this on the other stainless steel dog bowls we reviewed. Rubber bases soon stretch and wear when constantly cleaned by a dishwasher.

Now, I must add that some owners claim that this bowl slowed down their dogs during mealtime. But from our testing, Im not convinced. Our dogs appeared to scarf their meal down just as quickly as before. Maybe even faster because they were more comfortable eating out of this bowl if you are looking to slow down a speed eater, grab a slow-feed dog bowl instead.

The only time this bowl outright failed was when our goofy Pug approached the bowl from the back. Food went everywhere. Fortunately, there was an easy fix. We pushed the rear of the bowl against a wall. This way she could only feed from the front.

Enhanced Pet also sells a stand separately, effectively turning this bowl into an elevated dog bowl for flat-faced dogs. In fact, if you want a raised dog bowl for your flat faced pup, this is your best option.

Dont be put off by the price. If you want orneed a flat-faced dog bowl, then this is as good as it gets. Durable and effective, its worth every cent.

Best Travel-Friendly Flat-Faced Dog Bowl

K-9 Back Bowl

A soft, easy-to-carry dog bowl that folds flat when not in use.

Truth be told, no company has set out to create a travel-friendly bowl for flat-faced dogs. As a result, there are few options to choose from. Thats why we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Mountainsmith created a fantastic portable dog bowl for flat-faced dogs by accident.

We originally discovered the K-9 Backbowl when reviewing collapsible dog bowls. We were impressed with it then. Since that original review, Mountainsmith upgraded the bowl to make it even better the current model is both sturdier and more resistant to staining and wear.

The design is deceptively simple. Its a square piece of lined canvas fabric with snaps in each corner. In fact, when its unfolded, it looks like a large washcloth.

Simple, right? This is exactly what makes the K-9 Backbowl such a great travel companion. I could easily fold the bowl up and slide it inside my handbag ready to be pulled out at a moments notice. Its simply not practical to carry around your dogs day-to-day bowl in the same way.

I can assemble the bowl in seconds. The buttons quickly snap together, and then, much to my impatient pups joy, I can quickly fill it with food.

Both our flat-faced testers finished every last piece of kibble without difficulty.

The wide shape made it easy for even Olivia, our Bulldog tester, to fit her large head inside the bowl.

The low sides meant our dogs could still breathe when they dug into the corners. At the corners, our dogs could retrieve every last piece of kibble. Being made of fabric, the walls bend and flex as our pups scooped up the last few pieces of their meal.

The lining on the inside prevented kibble crumbs from sticking I easily wiped the bowl out with a wet cloth. Speaking of the lining, its 100% waterproof. I even used the bowl with a small amount of water for my thirsty pooch.

On surfaces like grass or concrete, the bowl slid considerably less than indoors on my slippery linoleum flooring. It didnt perform much better on carpet.

Being a travel bowl, this is to be expected. Youll most likely be using it outdoors, either running errands, camping or on long walks. If you want an indoor option, then I suggest sticking with our top recommendation.

Once home, a gentle cycle through the washing machine will have it looking good as new. There arent many dog bowls you can clean with a washing machine!

If you and your flat-faced pup are always on the go, this travel-friendly bowl will soon become your best friend. Highly recommended!

The flat-faced dog bowls that didnt make the cut

Not every flat-faced dog bowl was a winner, though. The following bowls fell short in one way or another when compared to our top picks.

That isnt to say that these are bad products. In fact, in most cases, the runner-up bowls were let down by minor flaws, such as being too small. Based on our testing, the above recommendations get everything right. In comparison, there is little reason to choose a runner up.

Our Pets stainless steel Tilt-a-Bowl isnt designed to be a flat-faced dog bowl, but for smaller dogs, it fits this purpose. The slanted opening is perfect for short, flat faces to reach their meal, and its available in three sizes. However, the sizing ran small with the largest barely suitable for any breed larger than a Beagle. While it might be suitable for a smaller brachycephalic breed, it wasnt big enough for our Bulldog.

The all-plastic Love N Creatures Slanted Bowl was pretty great. But it was also plastic. The lightweight design made it easier to push around than the other rubber-lined stainless steel bowls. While the cost is cheaper, its also considerably less durable and scratches easier.

Okay, so the Bone Dry Hungry Thirsty isnt a flat-faced dog bowl at all. We came across it while trying to find a ceramic option for our squishy-faced pups. There simply are not a lot of options. Unfortunately, despite the low, curved sides, it was just too small. Even our Pug struggled to squeeze her head inside. Our large Bulldog couldnt eat without bumping her nose on the edge of the bowl.

The other ceramic tilted dog bowl we tested was a generic model by iBard, but you can find this generic slanted bowl under many different names. Of all the bowls we tested, this was the worst. To get the slant, you set the ceramic dish precariously on top of a small podium. It sits loose and falls with the tiniest of bumps. It might be suited to gentle feeders, like a cat, but it was unsuitable for any of our doggy testers.

With just a few tweaks on the manufacturers part, Super Designs Mess Free Slanted Bowl could be a strong contender. Its essentially an elevated bowl that sits at a 15 slant thanks to the melamine base. Unfortunately, when you place the metal bowl in the base, it spins. For flat-faced dogs that will no doubt bump the bowl, this made feeding difficult as the bowl spun in place. Another bowl that is better suited to cats. Its a shame that there isnt much choice for elevated flat-faced dog bowls.

Essentially a fancier version of the Mess Free Slanted Bowl above, the FelliP Oblik Pet Bowl has the same flaws. The only difference is that it looks considerably better designed. But that price This is the most expensive slanted bowl we tested. Skip it.