Does mealtime for your dog resemble some sort of crazy eating competition? It could be troubling if your dog scarfs down their food at top speed as if they’re trying to win a trophy. Eating too fast could cause stomach discomfort, vomiting, and lead to obesity issues (not to mention leave a mess behind on your floor). A slow feed bowl like The Niner can help your dog eat at a safer and more enjoyable pace.
The Niner features nine raised peaks that create mini pockets for your pup’s food. When your dog needs to navigate around these peaks and valleys, it slows down their eating. It also offers mental stimulation and helps reduce the risk of choking, indigestion, and vomiting. Slower eating can also help prevent obesity problems.
If your dog’s a speedy eater, you owe it to them and yourself to check out The Niner. And if your pal already eats at a reasonable pace, this slow-feed bowl still offers benefits worth exploring.
Is Your Dog a Fast Eater?
When you put food in your dog’s dish, is it gone before you even close the food container? If your dog’s a fast eater, you might have noticed a few issues surrounding their meals.
Perhaps your dog burps a lot, throws up soon after eating, or seems uncomfortable following a meal. You might even notice your pup choking or gagging while eating since they’re going too fast. (These habits also signal that your pup isn’t chewing their food properly or thoroughly.)
In some cases, your dog might be overweight because of their speedy eating, increasing their risk of dog obesity. Another significant problem that fast eating contributes to is a serious condition called GDV (Canine Bloat).
Eating fast also typically leads to a mess for you to clean up. You end up with spilled food all over the floor or into your dog’s water bowl.
All these things can be frustrating, and health concerns can be scary. But you can help prevent or reduce them by getting your pal to slow down when they eat.
What Is The Niner?
The Niner Slow Feed Bowl is a specially designed food bowl that encourages slower eating. It has nine molded peaks that create various pockets in the bowl for your pet’s food. These individual pockets help spread the food throughout the dish instead of heaping it into one big pile.
When your dog eats from The Niner, they need to eat around these nine peaks instead of chowing down on one heap of grub. Eating this way naturally slows down the process, so your dog won’t gobble up their kibble so quickly and will benefit from slower eating.
The Benefits of a Slow-Feed Bowl
When a dog ingests food too quickly, it can potentially lead to throwing up, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal issues. Also, when your dog eats too fast, it can lead to overeating, which increases your pup’s risk of obesity. Your pet might consume food so fast that they don’t realize when they’re full, so they keep eating.
A slow-feed bowl helps combat these issues and provides extra advantages. The benefits of a slow-feed bowl include the following:
- Your dog has less risk of aspirating food or choking.
- There’s a reduced likelihood of obesity when your pet eats more slowly.
- A slow-feed bowl lowers the chances of indigestion.
- Eating slowly decreases your pet’s chances of vomiting.
- A slow-feed bowl can help reduce gastrointestinal upset and discomfort.
- Eating slowly reduces your dog’s risk of GDV (Canine Bloat).
- A slow-feed bowl encourages chewing (instead of swallowing food in mouthfuls), which can help keep teeth and gums healthy.
- Slow-feed bowls present a challenge, so your pet can get more mental stimulation while they eat.
- Increased mental stimulation can help improve your dog’s focus.
- It can also help reduce your dog’s stress and anxiety.
- Slower eating means less mess for you to clean up.
When you consider all the benefits of a slow-feed bowl, why wouldn’t you want to get one for your dog?
A Closer Look at The Niner
Here’s everything you need to know about the newest slow-feed bowl from Neater Pets, The Niner.
The Niner is proudly made in the USA. It consists of non-toxic, BPA-free, and phthalate-free ABS plastic that’s food-safe and gentle on your dog’s teeth and gums. It’s 8.38 inches across the top and 7.43 inches at the base. It stands 2.44 inches tall and is an excellent fit for all dog breeds, even pups with flat faces.
How Does The Niner Work?
The nine peaks provide a cluster of small pockets in the center of the bowl and a valley along the outer edge. These places hold your pup’s food and allow you to spread out your dog’s recommended serving amount as you wish.
The Niner holds up to two cups of food comfortably, and it’s best not to overfill the bowl. Overfilling can cover up the peaks, somewhat defeating the purpose of the bowl’s clever design. For best results, you want the food to sit below the raised parts of the food dish.
Your dog will love the challenge of eating around the peaks and working for their food. Fido will focus as they nibble and maneuver to dig out each and every morsel.
You might think that all that moving and adjusting would make the bowl slide around and create a mess. But no need to worry. Thanks to its non-skid bottom, The Niner works great on its own, staying put on your floor or the Neater Mat.
But, if you prefer, you can also use this slow-feed bowl with the fantastic Neater Feeder. The Niner fits inside the Neater Feeder Deluxe Large and the Neater Feeder Express Medium to Large size. It will also fit inside most raised feeders with 2-quart bowls (measure your feeder's bowl openings to make sure this bowl will fit before purchasing).
You can try out several ways to determine which method works best for your dog.
How Do You Clean The Niner?
The Niner is a breeze to take care of since it’s top-rack dishwasher safe. If you don’t have a dishwasher, hand wash with warm, soapy water. Then, let it air dry on the rack or use a dish towel.
Does Your Dog Need The Niner?
If your pup eats their food like it’s going out of style, then The Niner is a great solution. This slow-feed bowl encourages your dog to eat at a safer and slower pace, reducing their risk for several issues. Eating slowly decreases the likelihood of vomiting, choking, indigestion, bloat, aspirating food, and obesity.
The Niner is an excellent choice for all dog breeds and helps keep your pup’s food area clean (less work for you). And after mealtime, you can pop the bowl in the dishwasher on the top rack.
For more ways to make life easier and healthier with your pet, check out the rest of our blog. You’ll find all sorts of useful information to help sharpen your pet-parenting skills.