Silicone Slow Feeder Mat With Bowls

A dog who empties a bowl in twenty seconds swallows a good deal of air along with the food, and that is uncomfortable at best. Making the meal harder to get at is the whole of the fix: channels and ridges force a dog to work around obstacles, which stretches feeding from seconds into minutes and takes the edge off the gulping. The same texture keeps a bored dog occupied when there is nothing else going on.

This is a single silicone tray doing three jobs at once. A maze of raised channels covers one area for slow feeding, textured lick panels sit alongside for spreading something soft into, and two bowls are moulded into the tray itself for food and water. Being one flexible piece is the practical part, because it has a lip, so spills stay on the mat rather than the floor, and silicone grips instead of skating across tiles.

• Maze channels to slow down fast eaters
• Textured lick panels for calm enrichment
• Two bowls moulded into the tray for food and water
• Flexible silicone that grips the floor and contains spills
• Rinses and wipes clean
• Packs at 40 x 30 x 4cm, weighing 1.45kg

Two things worth knowing. And a slow feeder is a tool rather than a cure. A dog bolting food out of anxiety needs the anxiety looked at, and a determined dog learns the fastest route through any maze eventually.

Who it's for: Dogs who empty a bowl before you have put the scoop down, and anyone hoping for ten quiet minutes at the end of the day.