A dog who empties a bowl in under a minute swallows a good deal of air along with dinner, and the discomfort that follows is entirely avoidable. The ridges moulded into this bowl break the food into pockets, so rather than one continuous mouthful your dog has to work around the pattern with nose and tongue. The mushroom-house shape is decorative, but the maze inside it is doing real work.

It is moulded in one piece of food-grade silicone, which changes how it behaves next to a hard plastic feeder. There are no seams for food to collect in, the base grips rather than skidding across a tiled floor, and the whole bowl flexes inside out so you can reach every groove when you wash it. Silicone is also kind to teeth and gums, which matters for a dog who attacks a bowl rather than eating from it.

• 20.3cm across and 4cm deep
• Moulded food-grade silicone, 410g
• Raised internal ridges to pace a fast eater
• Flexes inside out for cleaning, and is dishwasher safe
• Non-slip base
• Two colourways: brown and blue
• Takes dry kibble, wet food or frozen spreads

On what a slow feeder can and cannot do. Pacing a fast eater genuinely helps with gulping and the sickness that often follows it, and it is a sensible habit for any greedy dog. It is not a treatment for bloat. If your dog is a deep-chested breed, or you have ever seen a distended abdomen after a meal, that is a conversation with your vet rather than a bowl purchase.

Who it's for: Owners of small to medium dogs who inhale their dinner, and anyone who wants a lick mat and a bowl in the same object.