Slow feeder bowl for Gordon Setter with gastritis

A vet referral for a slow feeder alongside a gastritis diagnosis is really worth taking seriously — fast eating is a significant driver of stomach irritation, and in a deep-chested breed like a Gordon Setter it also raises the risk of bloat, which can be life-threatening. A well-chosen slow feeder can genuinely halve eating speed, giving the stomach a much better chance to cope. To point you to the right one: how big is your Setter, roughly how quickly are they currently clearing their bowl, and are they on wet food, dry kibble, or a mix?

Under a minute for a 29kg dog on dry kibble is very fast, and your vet is right — that speed means swallowed air and poorly chewed food hitting an already irritated stomach. For a large breed with an active gastritis diagnosis, you want a slow feeder with a genuinely complex maze pattern, deep enough ridges that he can't just push food to the edge, and large enough that he's not hunching over a bowl that's too small. Can I ask — does he eat from floor level, or do you use a raised stand? That's relevant for Setters specifically.

Raised feeders are a bit of a contested area for deep-chested breeds — some older guidance promoted them, but current evidence is mixed and some studies actually link them to increased bloat risk in large breeds. Since your vet has already assessed him, it's worth asking them directly, but for now I'd stick with floor level and focus on slowing the eating pace, which is the confirmed issue. Here's my recommendation: the LickiMat Splash slow feeder bowl. It's designed for large dogs, has an intricate pattern of raised ridges that works very well with dry kibble — especially if you add a small splash of warm water to the meal, which helps with gastritis too — and it's robust enough to handle an enthusiastic Setter. It consistently extends eating time to 8–15 minutes in dogs that previously ate in under one. It's available on Amazon UK for around £12–15 and is dishwasher safe, which matters for keeping it hygienic between meals.

Both, genuinely. Dry kibble absorbs stomach acid quickly when swallowed in large unchewed chunks, which can worsen irritation in an already inflamed stomach lining. Adding a small amount of warm water softens the kibble slightly, slows him down because the texture changes, and means the food arrives in the stomach in a less abrasive form. It's a simple habit that complements the slow feeder nicely — and worth mentioning at your next vet check so they can factor it into how they're monitoring his gastritis.

Good plan. Give it a week or two for him to get used to the new bowl — some dogs try to cheat it at first, especially clever breeds like Setters, so watch the first few meals. If his eating time is consistently over five minutes after a fortnight, that's a solid result. Hope the gastritis settles down for him.