Dog Bowls, Feeders & Food Storage

Yes, if your dog suffers from arthritis or other medical conditions where raising the bowl will ease his pain. Elevated dog bowls give your dog access to his food and water at shoulder height—a welcome benefit for some dogs but especially for an older or arthritic dog who may find eating from a raised bowl more comfortable. If your dog is an enthusiastic eater, a raised feeder won’t slide around on the floor like a conventional dog bowl might.

Both types of bowls have pros and cons. Your dog’s bowl sees a lot of action, so it’s important for the material to be durable, safe, and easy to clean. There are small differences in the materials that may influence your choice between a metal or ceramic bowl. Stainless steel bowls are durable and rust-resistant, but other types of metal may rust, adding dangerous iron oxide to your dog’s food. The downsides to stainless steel bowls are noise—they clatter against the floor if you have an enthusiastic eater—and their plain appearance. Placing stainless steel dog bowls into a high-quality raised feeder can help them look more attractive in your home. Ceramic bowls, made from sturdy baked clay, are also naturally clean like stainless steel bowls, and they’re attractive. Their weight helps reduce sliding, but they’re more prone to breakage.

The best prevention against overeating is making sure you don’t overfeed your dog. Sometimes dog owners inadvertently overfeed their dogs if the food bowls are too big. In a big bowl, it’s easy for a healthy portion to look like not enough food. Make sure you choose a bowl roughly four times the volume of your dog’s meal. In other words, if your dog gets ¼ cup of food at mealtime, the food bowl needs to be big enough to accommodate only a cup. For dogs who eat too much too fast, a slow feeder helps calm their pace so they don’t scarf down mouthful after mouthful.

Your dog’s food bowl should be roughly four times larger than the amount of food going in it. So, if you feed your dog a cup of food in the morning, his food bowl should be big enough for four cups. If your dog gets a half cup of food, his bowl should be big enough to fit two cups.