Why not to use elevated dog bowls

The Pros & Cons of Elevated Dog Bowls A Quick Guide

If theres one topic that can cause uproar between dog owners, its feeding time. What your dog eats, when it eats, how often it eats, these are all questions that spark debate. Another hot topic is whether or not your dog should be using an elevated dog bowl. While the science is still out on how effective they really are, there are key benefits to elevated dog feeders that may be great for your dog.

About Elevated Dog Bowls

If your dog struggles or misbehaves at eating time, an elevated dog bowl may be right for you. There are different styles of feeders to fit your dogs needs, ranging in overall size, materials, and design.

What are Elevated Dog Bowls?

Also known as elevated dog feeders, elevated dog bowls are simply dog bowls raised from the floor with a stand of some sort to keep it elevated. They come in a variety of sizes, so theyre useful for both toy-sized and large-sized dogs. Elevated dog feeders make your dogs food closer and easier to eat, so a lot of dogs tend to prefer them. Elevated dog bowl stands are also great to keep water and food bowls together on one feeder, instead of having two separate bowls sliding around on the floor.

What Were Elevated Dog Bowls Originally Invented For?

Elevated dog bowls were first invented as a sure-fire way to prevent bloat, which refers to two life-threatening conditions: GD and GDV.

Gastric Dilatation (GD) causes your dogs stomach to painfully fill with gas, which is already a serious medical emergency. Gastric Dilatation & Volvulus (GDV) is when the gas-filled stomach starts to twist on itself, which cuts off the circulation of the stomach and blood flow.

Both conditions are considered extremely dangerous and should be treated as soon as possible Call your vet immediately if your dog shows one or more symptoms of bloat:

• Distended (bloated) stomach and abdomen
• Anxious pacing and restlessness
• Multiple failed attempts at vomiting
• Rapid breathing, yawning, whining

Do Elevated Dog Feeders Actually Help with Bloat?

While they were first marketed as one of the best ways to prevent bloat, the truth is much foggier than what companies first claimed. The problem is that these claims went unchecked at first, but there is more data available now about the truth of elevated dog feeders.

While they can help with bloat, the risk is not as minimized as companies have claimed. Bloat tends to happen more to fast eaters and dogs who tend to eat a lot of air as they eat, so it really depends on your dog if an elevated bowl can help. If your dog is liable to get bloat, talk to your veterinarian about your options to prevent it.

Pros of Elevated Dog Bowls

Regardless of its original purpose to prevent bloat, there are other benefits of using elevated dog feeders that may help your furry friend out. Here are some pros and cons of elevated dog feeders:

Overall Better Posture While Eating

Because theyre off the ground, elevated dog bowls naturally help your dogs posture while eating. The raised dishes are at a more comfortable height, which will relieve some neck and joint stress from ground-level bowls. Make sure to find the right height for your dog to benefit from the elevated feeder.

Easier for Dogs to Eat

The raised height of elevated dog feeders makes access to food and water easier, especially for senior dogs that struggle to eat from traditional bowls. It also helps all dogs with eating more comfortably, since the angle of their neck changes with the elevation. If your dog tends to struggle with eating, an elevated dog bowl may alleviate some discomfort.

Sturdier & more stable than Normal Bowls

Elevated dog feeders can be especially beneficial if your dog would rather play with his dog bowls. They can be sturdier and stable than normal bowls, built to withstand pushing and sliding. Some elevated dog bowls are even designed to prevent tipping, scratching and biting, depending on the model and brand.

• Better posture while eating
• Easier for your dog to eat
• More stable than traditional dog bowls

Cons of Elevated Dog Bowls

As with most products in any category, there are some disadvantages to elevated dog bowls that may change your decision. Here are some disadvantages of elevated dog bowls:

Expensive Compared to Traditional Bowls

Dogs are expensive, no matter how you look at it. An elevated dog bowl is another expense that may be added to the list. While they may not cost hundreds of dollars, they can still get very costly for the more premium-grade models. Consider what the elevated bowl will do and if it would really help before purchasing one.

Harder to Clean and Maintain

With all of the nooks and crannies, the elevated dog bowl stands can be a real pain to clean and take care of. Some models may have multiple separate pieces, which can trap bacteria. Most elevated dog bowl stands are also not dishwasher safe, so youll have to handwash it.

Doesnt Prevent Messy Eating

If you have a messy eater, dont hope for a miracle unless you buy an elevated dog bowl designed to be mess-free. Water will still be dripped and splashed around, just at a higher height. Extra-large breeds with big muzzles like the English Mastiff are notorious for their messy drinking and eating, so an elevated water bowl may not help with that at all.

• More expensive than traditional bowls
• Feeder stands can be hard to clean
• Can still be really messy (especially slobbery dogs)

Final Thoughts

There are many reasons to buy or not to buy an elevated dog bowl, but your dogs health and wellness should always be a priority. If your dog may benefit from an elevated dog bowl, it may save you money in the long run. Theyre great for most dogs, even for breeds as small as a Yorkshire Terrier.

Dogs are expensive, no matter how you crunch the numbers. Adding another product to the list may get costly, but elevated dog bowl stands are usually a one-time purchase. If youre hesitant about spending the extra money, think about how it may benefit you and your dog in the long run. Also, you may end up buying an elevated dog bowl years later when your dog becomes a senior, so you may want to invest in a stand before that time comes.

If your dog struggles to eat while standing or tends to slide the bowl around, an elevated dog bowl may be the right option. Its important to look for high-quality brands with features that benefit your dogs eating habits. Except for a few small disadvantages, an elevated dog bowl can be a great investment for a more comfortable mealtime experience.

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Featured Image Credit: Peteris Zalitis, Shutterstock

Pros and Cons of elevated Dog feeders- What to choose?

Every dog owner wants everything to be right for their dogs. Whether it can be food or food eating habits, every owner wants things to be perfect to make his dog healthy and happy. There are many dog accessories that have flooded the market to satisfy the owners intent to make his pet happy.We have come across Elevated bowls for dogs to feed them in a different way. But it is important to consider the pros and cons of elevated dog feeders before using them for your dog.

Pros and Cons of elevated dog feeders

How does a dog eat its food in the wild? From the ground or from a table? Nature has designed its body system to eat food from the ground by bending its neck. As dogs are carnivores they have a tendency to eat cautiously by protecting its meal from other preys. Eating in a standing position ensures that it can easily protect its food from other animals. In a standing position, it can easily attack its opponent or carry away its food to another place immediately. So even if you observe the stray dogs most of them eat standing unless if they are some kind of bones. In case of bones, they prefer a sitting position while this position ensures holding the bone properly between its paws.

Remember one thing, your dog will be healthy if its eating and way of eating are closer to the way nature has designed it to be.

Elevated dog bowls- What are they actually?

In our houses, we generally feed our dogs in bowls placed at a ground level. But elevated dog bowls are bowls which are placed at a higher level than the ground surface. They come in various heights, shapes and claim certain health benefits.

Most of the elevated dog bowls come in a height which is approximately parallel to your dogs shoulders and does not strain your dog while eating its food. Many pet owners who are fascinated with its claimed health benefits stopped using normal bowls for feeding their dogs. But it is essential to understand the whole picture and find out the truth, Are elevated dog bowls good or bad?

Benefits of Elevated dog bowls

Firstly let us have a look at the prosof using these bowls

1. Useful in conditions like Megaesophagus

Megaesophagus is a medical condition in which the esophagus becomes enlarged and it becomes difficult for the food to reach your dogs stomach. Asthe food and water are not pushed into the stomach, the esophagus becomes fully enlarged.

Labradors are one of the breeds that are at risk of developing this disease. Using elevated dog bowls can help the food to pass easily as there is no difficulty in travelling of food from the ground level.

2. Other medical issues like Arthritis

If there are any medical issues that are interfering with your dogs normal movement to reach the floor level your Vet may prescribe an elevated bowl for feeding your dog.

Dogs with arthritis, neck injuries and other inflammatory conditions cannot reach the ground easily and reaching the ground surface can be quite painful for your dog. In such cases using an elevated bowl can ease the pain and help your dog to eat its food easily. It is always essential to discuss if there is any necessity of using an elevated bowl for your dog for a particular medical condition.

3. Healthier posture for some dogs

If your dog is a large breed like the Labrador, your dog needs to stretch its neck a lot to reach the food on the ground. Even though dogs are quite comfortable eating in head down posture, this might not be the same case in all dogs.

Eating food in head down posture may be difficult for some dogs which are old and suffering from conditions such as joint pain and mobility issues. Elevated bowls can be of great help to such dogs

Although elevated bowls have certain benefits, it is necessary to consider the side effects and disadvantages of these raised dog bowls before using it for your dogs.

Cons of elevated dog bowls

Have you heard of Gastric dilatation-volvulus(GDV)? This GDV is an emergency medical condition where your dogs stomach is filled with excess gas and gets twisted. This is also commonly known as bloat. Bloat can usually occur when your dog eats very quickly and ingests a heavy amount of air along with food.

The origin of elevated dog bowls came up with the idea of reducing the risk of bloat in dogs. In the past, elevated bowls were believed to minimise the risk of developing bloat. But latest studies indicate the opposite and indicate that an elevated dog food bowl caused risk of bloat. Hence it is necessary to understand that there exists a strong correlation between elevated feedersand bloat.

A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association revealed that elevated bowls may increase gastric dilation in dogs. This is especially true with respect to deep chested dog breeds such as the Labrador. Studies indicate that in 20 per cent of cases among large breeds and 52 per cent of cases among giant breed, there exists a direct correlation between bloat and raised food bowls Hence elevated food bowls especially for large breed dogs is undesirable.

Elevated dog bowls for Labradors

Finally, if you want to feed your Labrador in an elevated bowl, there are both pros and cons. If your dog is a deep chested breed like Labrador the disadvantages of using an elevated dog food bowl will outweigh the advantages.

Suppose if you have a dog breed with minimum risk of bloat and suffering from joint issues. You can feed him in raised dog food bowls to ease its condition.

It is important to consult your Vet in case of changing the type of dog feeder. Depending on the breed and condition of the dog on a case by case basis a wise decision need to be taken whether to use or not use an elevated feeder for your Dog.

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