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Dogs that are fast eaters are at risk of bloating and vomiting. One way to slow them down effectively is with slow feeders. We take it one step further by recommending stainless steel slow feeder dog bowls.
We scoured the internet, comparing features, prices, reviews — and our own experience using these bowls. Read on to see our picks, along with some pros & cons for each pick, and why we recommend metal slow feeder dog bowls over plastic ones.
Our picks at a glance
Why stainless steel is the better choice
First & foremost, stainless steel is easier to clean. That film of greasiness left behind by dogs’ saliva is much easier to rinse off of stainless steel than plastic dog bowls. Because they’re easier to clean, they’re also less prone to harboring bacteria and more hygienic for your dogs.
Stainless steel is much more durable than plastic or ceramic. Drop it, toss it, or leave it outdoors, stainless steel will not break or rust. Some dogs like to chew on their bowls, but stainless steel will resist chipping or cracking more than any other material.
Buy a quality stainless steel dog bowl & take care of it, it can last a lifetime.
Best overall stainless steel slow feeder dog bowl
The Peggy11 bowl is our overall pick due to the value it gives for its price. It’s a high-quality, food-safe metal bowl, with its rubber base that does a good job at preventing slippage, and it’s effective at slowing dogs down — those are the basics you’re looking for, and you get all of that for a pretty good price.
The bowl is also difficult to tip over, which is a nice feature for those who have rowdy dogs. It comes in medium and large sizes, but no small, which is unfortunate.
Best budget stainless steel slow feeder dog bowl
The Neater Pets slow feeder is a no-frills bowl. You’ll get a stainless steel bowl that will slow your dog’s eating down, and you’ll get it at a very reasonable price. No extra design features, no fuss. And it’s a very popular bowl!
It doesn’t come with a non-slip rubber base, which may be one of the reasons it’s so inexpensive. That could be a deal-breaker for some, but this a good starter bowl option for those who want to give it a try before jumping in with both feet.
It comes in 3 sizes, and fits the Neater Feeder Deluxe which turns it into an elevated bowl.
Best aesthetic bowl
Kiba’s stainless steel slow feeder dog bowl is a very good-looking bowl, let’s just get that out of the way. But it’s also a well-made one. It’s made of a premium stainless steel and difficult to tip over due to its design and its weight. It’s an investment piece that will look good in your house.
However, the bowl only comes in one size, and it’s too large a size (8-inch diameter) to be effective for smaller dogs. It works for bigger dogs and dogs with large snouts.
Best for puppies
These bowls work great for households with many puppy mouths to feed. It’s wide enough (10 inches in diameter) for all the puppies to have space to feed, which slows down their eating further. It’s effective, inexpensive and comes in a pack of 2. They also work for flat-faced dogs due to the shallow height of the bowls.
There’s no option to buy just one bowl, you’ll have to get the 2-pack. But having a spare one is always a good idea.
Best for large dogs
Finding any supplies for large and extra-large dogs is often a chore, and that extends to dog bowls. So it was nice to find the OurPets Durapet bowl offered in such large sizes, the largest one able to hold a whopping 6 cups of food!
The design is also tailored to larger dogs — larger snouts will find this bowl challenging enough to slow down eating, but not too challenging that it becomes frustrating. We recommend the small-sized (2 cup capacity) or medium-sized one (4.5 cup capacity) for most dogs.
Best for wet food
Apierro’s stainless steel slow feeder dog bowl is durable and has a unique design that holds wet food better than other bowls do. The grooves on the top are effective, but there also grooves on the bottom that are equally, if not more, effective. An unintended design feature, but a welcome one.
These dog bowls come in 2 variants, we recommend the one with a non-slip base, not the paw print variant. Just keep an eye out for that as it’s rather confusing.
What to look for in a stainless steel slow feeder dog bowl
Capacity. Most important in our opinion is the capacity of the bowl, i.e. how many cups of food can the bowl hold? The manufacturer sometimes claim 2 cups, but in truth the bowl can only hold one cup of food. In order to be effective, the food has to be underneath or within the ridges/maze pattern of the bowl. Any food that overflows or goes over the pattern is easily accessible to the dog and therefore does not slow him down. It just takes a bit of analyzing, but shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out.
Non-slip base. This one is non-negotiable in our opinion. Your dog will already have some difficulty getting to his food, owing to the ridges in the bowl, so a bowl that doesn’t slip is essential. You’ll want a rubber/silicone base with a good grip, one that doesn’t easily slip off or break.
Dishwasher-safe. Stainless steel is generally easy to clean, even one with ridges or a maze pattern shouldn’t be too challenging. However, a bowl you can toss in the dishwasher at the end of each day would be nice bonus.
That concludes our list! Thanks for reading this far; perhaps you’d like to have a look at some of our other lists and guides?