A slow bowl is a dish, not a treatment.

Some dogs gulp. The floor gets a smear of kibble, and the animal belches and looks for more. A bowl with ridges makes the next bite take longer. That is the whole job. It does not treat bloat. If a belly goes tight, or a dog is trying to vomit and nothing comes up, call a veterinarian. Do not drive to a shop.

• Cat slow bowl, about 1 cupShallow spiral$26
• Dog slow bowl, about 4 cupsPressed ridges$38

Counter prices in US dollars, before sales tax. If a shelf tag disagrees, the shelf tag is the price.

What is on the shelf

Steel

Stainless, not a plastic insert. Plastic gets chewed at the rim and holds a film in the scratches.

Cat

About one cup. A shallow spiral, because wet food sticks in a deep cut and smells on a warm shelf.

Dog

About four cups. Pressed ridges a thumb can reach. Not a maze.

Base

A rubber ring seated in a groove, so the bowl does not walk across a wood floor when the dog shoves it.

Wash

Dishwasher, top rack, away from the heating element. The ring stays on.

A deep maze looks serious and then grows a paste of old kibble in the corners. We do not stock that shape. If you cannot clean a groove with a thumb and hot water, it does not belong in an apartment where the bowl sits out until evening.

Set the bowl down in the shop before you buy it. A heavy steel bowl should stay put on the floorboards. If the ring is proud of the groove or the bowl rocks, we will not sell you that one.

What it will not do

It will not make a dog that is sick want to eat. It will not replace a measured meal. It will not stop a dog from picking the bowl up if the dog has already learned to carry dishes. Cats that graze all day often do better with the shallow spiral than with ridges that hide a few pieces until they go stale.

We do not stock kibble, raw, or treats. The bowl is empty when it leaves the counter. Wash it before the first use.

If the ring comes off

Within 30 days we replace the bowl. After that, a ring that has been cut or melted on a dishwasher element is wear, not a defect. Returns on an unused bowl follow the 14-day line on the questions page. A bowl that has been eaten from does not come back to the shelf.

Grit from a porch or from a paw can sit in the ridges. Hot water and a thumb. Skip the harsh pad that scratches the steel. Scratches are where the film starts.