|
 The
Weekly Growl:
A
Canine Commentary
Brake-Fast
Bowl
By
Stacy Mantle
If
you have more than one dog in the house you will likely run into
some competition for food. The leading contest in my home is
"who can eat the most the fastest gets more". It
never works out for them because ultimately someone has to be lead
dog, and that's generally me. However, slowing down the
eating battles each day has been a difficult and often dangerous,
task.
This
unique product makes my job very easy. Brake-Fast has
developed a bowl that forced the dog to slow down it's eating.
Tristan, my coyote/wolf hybrid, has begun using this bowl every
night, and it has finally put him on an eating level with that of
his friends, Roscoe and Cheiss.
Food
conquers all in the dog universe, and he who has the most makes the
rules. My last two wolf hybrids, Malachi and Aquilla, often
rapidly consumed their meals, then ran outside to throw up and bury
their food so that they would have room for more. It's a
natural response in the wild to eat while you can, and often our
animals never forget this instinct. Brake-Fast allows us to
slow down our pets eating. Tristan now takes up to ten minutes
to finish a bowl of food that he used to wolf down in two
minutes! There is no assembly required, just pull the dish
from the shipping carton, place it on the floor, feed as you
normally would, and voila! Your dog is now eating at a normal
rate!
Overeating
and eating quickly can cause a number of problems for our
pets. Some of these include GDV or Gastric Dilatation/Volvulus.
A result of eating too fast, this disease will cause a dog's stomach
to fill with air, bloat and could eventually lead to a twisting of
the stomach, similar to colic in horses. And there are many
more problems that can be caused by eating too fast, just ask your
friends who have "fast eaters".
This
bowl works on simple physics. Place obstacles in a dog dish and it
will slow the dog's eating down. If he can't get to the food
quickly, he can't eat the food quickly. A simple concept for a
simple product, and one that I wish we had around when I was working
with my wolf hybrids. It would have saved me a lot in vet
bills!
The bowl costs only $14.99 plus shipping, and you can order
directly from the manufacturer. Currently there is only one
size available, medium. It works very well for large breeds,
of which I have three. There are plans in the works to create
a small and a large bowl as well, these bowls should be available
sometime in 2007.
From
the Dogs:
Growls:
(From Tristan) It is really hard to eat from! My
mom and dad keep telling me that is a good thing, but I can't see
how less food is ever a good thing. Guess I'll have to take
their word for it, as I haven't been into the veterinarian's office
for awhile! Woof!
Leaps
of Joy: (From Tristan) Can't say I'm really thrilled
about it, but it is kind of unique looking, and so far I'm the only
dog in the house who has a cool new bowl. (From Cheiss and
Roscoe) YAY! It slows Tristan's eating down and creates
less pressure for us to eat fast! WE love this
bowl!
From
the Humans:
Two
opposable thumbs up: We love it! No more refereeing
the food bowls!
Drawbacks?
The bowl moves around on the floor because there is non-slip edge on
it. However, we are assured that this is intentional - the
goal of the food bowl is to increase time for digestion and the
harder the food is to get, the better off we all are!
About
the Author
Stacy
Mantle
is a freelance writer who currently resides in the southwestern
deserts of Arizona with a number of cats, a coyote/wolf hybrid, and
a very understanding husband. Her writing has appeared in
publications such as The Arabian Horse Times, Today’s AZ
Woman, and Pets Illustrated and she currently writes two
pet product review columns for www.PetsWeekly.com. Many of her stories and
articles have been translated into several languages, and now reach
an international audience. Quickly becoming known as "…the Erma
Bombeck of animals", her writing has skyrocketed to new heights
as she records the stories of those she loves, inspiring the reader
to learn why we have all come to love the animals we share our lives
with. She is the author of Conquering the Food Chain:
Living Amongst Animals (Without Becoming One),
which is available in Barnes & Noble bookstores nationwide, as
well as online at www.bn.com or www.amazon.com
Read about these other
great products: Spray
Commander, PetSleeves,
Pet
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Pathways, PetSafe's
1800LostDog,
Wubba
World's Dog Toys,
Ruffwear,
PupLight,
Drinkwell's Big Dog Pet Fountain, and
the Tapeless Wound Care
System | 
