Are Elevated Dog Feeders Healthier for Your Dogs?

If you have a dog, chances are you’ve come across elevated dog feeders on your quest to find the best accessories, toys and tools for your animal. You may have pondered the idea of getting one, but hesitated, or even researched the use of such a feeder. Is this raised bowl contraption a good fit for your pup or your aging dog? Can a raised dog feeder be healthier for your pet? Let’s answer these questions and discover the benefits of getting one!
 

What Is an Elevated Feeder for Dogs?

First, what constitutes an actual elevated dog feeder, also called raised bowls or raised feeder? A simple explanation would be any bowl or feeder that doesn’t touch the ground. Whether it’s raised by a wood or metal stand or upon a box or other type of support, an elevated dog feeding station lies at a few inches from the ground to a foot or more.

Different dogs, different heights! Obviously, a youngling won’t need the same kind of height as a huge hound, so various elevations are available on the market. It’s therefore essential to find a model of elevated dog bowl feeder that suits your baby’s body. Some types are even adjustable to grow and adapt throughout your dog’s lifespan!

 

To find the ideal dog elevated feeder, you’ll need to measure the perfect tallness. Have your dog stand normally and, with a tape measure, determine the distance between the ground and your animal’s shoulders or approximately where its legs meet its body. From this measurement, subtract 3 inches if you have a small dog. For larger dogs, subtract 6 inches. You now have the information you need and are ready to head out on a quest to find the best one!

 

Benefits of Elevated Feeding Bowls for Dogs

Over the past years, specialists have argued over the pros and cons of elevated dog feeding bowls, as research hasn’t been conducted in depth. However, there is a consensus between scientists and veterinarians in certain cases, like for older dogs or pets that may have health issues. As for healthy animals, they still benefit from having a raised dog dinner in other sometimes less scientific ways, like helping their masters reduce messes or not being able to play with their food as much!

 

•   Simplify eating: canines eating on floor level need to bend and lower their neck quite a bit to reach their food. An elevated dog bowl stand brings their chow closer to their neck height and can help reduce potential posture and back problems in some animals. If your beloved pooch suffers from muscular problems, joint pain or arthritis or is simply aging, look no further! These bowl systems are a must for comfort.

•   Food processing: gravity remains a reality when it comes to dogs eating. When they swallow with their head down, their bodies need to work harder to get the food through the esophagus and into the stomach. With raised dog bowls, food starts its voyage higher up, making it easier to swallow and process quicker through the esophagus. This can also lead to less vomiting and choking in some dogs.

•   Gulping and speedy eating: Animals who tend to gulp down their meal will generally ingest it slower when their bowls are placed higher up. If your baby is a fast eater, you may see a reduced eating speed with elevated dog bowls.

•   Reducing mess: An elevated slow feeder dog bowl and elevated dog water bowl may help reduce a certain amount of mess. Of course, your pet can still spill and drool around its dinner, but, it seems to happen less when dog bowls are elevated, as they can ingest without working as much and there is less distance with their feeders.

•   Easier access: The actual mess that is worth writing home about is the fast that fewer bacteria accumulate under the bowls on the ground when on a stand. Not only does the stand remain easier to clean, but we tend to do it more often because it’s higher up and easier to access. If you have mobility issues, a harder time bending down or getting back up, you’re probably not a fan of your animal’s food dispensers, as they may hurt you on a daily basis. The best elevated dog bowls change that!

•   Less playing: it’s not the case for every dog, but some love to paddle in their water bowls as if they lounged by the pool. When their bowls no longer touch the ground, mutts can’t see them as a playing field. Also, because they can’t be moved along the ground with their paws, the focus is taken off their fun capabilities and they remain simply functional in feeding your loved one.

•   Increasing digestion: this is different for every animal, but you may have noticed that some lay down to eat; a very distinct sign that their bowls are too low. By doing so, digestion becomes altered, a side effect of lower bowls we most definitely don’t want. Correct this by simply finding a large dog elevated feeder that will suit your best pal!

 

Messy Mutts’ Elevated Dog Feeder

Now that you know why an elevated dog feeder can be good for your pet, you’re on the hunt to find the best one! Messy Mutts has got you covered with our array of feeders.
 
Remember the adjustable elevated dog bowls mentioned earlier? This award-winning feeder grows with your dog from pup to adult, saving you time, money and headaches while being durable and sustainable.

Depending on your furry friend’s size, you’ll appreciate the 6-inch elevated feeding bowls for dogs or the 4.5-inch version. The bowl size is also adapted to your dog’s size, varying from 1.5 to 3 cups per bowl.

 
Which one will you choose?