Slow feeder for older Dachshund with worn teeth

Dogs that eat too fast are at real risk of bloat — which can be life-threatening in larger breeds — as well as vomiting and chronic digestive discomfort, and a well-chosen slow feeder can genuinely halve eating speed. A good starting point: what breed and size is your dog, how quickly are they getting through their meals, and have you noticed any vomiting or digestive upset because of it? One thing I will say before you answer — dogs that eat too fast are at real risk of bloat, even in smaller breeds, so it's worth sorting sooner rather than later.

That's a really important detail — worn teeth in older dogs change the slow feeder equation completely. Sharp ridges or deep maze-style patterns can catch on fragile teeth or sore gums, and if she finds it uncomfortable she'll either avoid the bowl or bolt her food around the sides to get it over with faster, which defeats the point entirely. Can I ask — is she on wet food, dry kibble, or a mix? And roughly how long does she take to finish a meal right now?

Forty-five seconds is very fast, and the vomiting confirms her stomach is struggling to keep up — you're right to act on this now. For an older dog with worn teeth eating small kibble, you want something with low, rounded, widely-spaced ridges rather than a deep maze. The bowl needs to slow her down through navigation, not through forcing her to scrape food out of tight grooves with her teeth. The one I'd point you to is the LickiMat Splash — it's a flat silicone mat with a gentle raised grid pattern that spaces the kibble out without any sharp edges anywhere. It sits flat on the floor, won't slide around, and the soft silicone means zero risk of catching on her teeth. For 3mm kibble it works particularly well because the food settles into the shallow squares and she has to work her tongue and nose to get at it. Most dogs go from under a minute to three or four minutes without any stress. It's also dishwasher safe, which matters when you're using it twice a day.

Yes — introduce it gradually. For the first two or three meals, put only half her normal portion on the mat so she gets the idea without getting frustrated. Older dogs can be set in their habits and a completely unfamiliar feeding method can cause mild anxiety if it's all or nothing straight away. Once she's comfortable and taking her time, move to full portions. Also keep an eye on whether she's lifting the mat — if she tries to flip it to get the food out faster, a small non-slip mat underneath fixes that immediately. If the vomiting stops within a week or two of switching, that's a good sign her digestion is catching up. If it continues, it's worth mentioning to your vet in case there's something else going on alongside the fast eating.

Good choice for her. It's one of those products that suits senior dogs particularly well because it was originally designed for licking rather than scraping — so the whole surface logic is gentler than a standard slow feeder bowl. I hope she takes to it quickly and the vomiting settles down.