Slow feeder for gassy Clumber Spaniel

Dogs that eat too fast are at increased risk of bloat — which can be life-threatening in large and deep-chested breeds — as well as vomiting and digestive discomfort, and aerophagia (swallowing air while eating) is a direct cause of flatulence, so your Clumber's gassiness is almost certainly tied to his eating speed. A well-chosen slow feeder can genuinely halve the time food disappears, which means far less air gulped down with each mouthful. To point you to the right one: what size is he roughly, how quickly does he tend to finish his meals, and has the flatulence been his only symptom or have you seen any vomiting or bloating too?

That's a classic aerophagia picture — kibble gone in under a minute means he's barely chewing and just vacuuming air along with every piece. Good that your vet flagged it early, because Clumbers aren't the most extreme bloat risk but they're not immune either. A couple of quick things: is he eating from the floor, a raised bowl, or a standard bowl on the ground? And is his kibble fairly small and uniform, or larger pieces?

Perfect, that's straightforward to sort. For a 32kg dog with aerophagia-driven flatulence, I'd go with the LickiMat Splash — it's a ridged, textured slow feeder bowl with a maze-style pattern that forces dogs to work around obstacles rather than scoop up mouthfuls whole. It's designed for wet food or kibble softened with a little water, and that slight softening itself reduces air pockets between pieces. For a Clumber, soaking his kibble for five minutes before putting it in the Splash is worth doing alongside the feeder — it swells the kibble so it sits in the ridges better and is gentler on his gut. The Splash is widely available on Amazon UK, dishwasher safe, and robust enough for a dog his size. Given that your vet has already made the connection between speed and gas, this is a direct mechanical fix rather than a supplement or dietary change — and most owners see a noticeable reduction in flatulence within a week or two once eating time goes from under a minute to four or five minutes.

The LickiMat Splash comes in one standard size and it's generous enough for a dog his size — the feeding surface is wide and the ridges are spaced well for medium kibble. For introduction, just swap it in on the first meal without any fuss; most dogs figure it out immediately because the food is still right there, just harder to scoop. If he gets frustrated in the first day or two, you can mash a small amount of wet food into the ridges on top of his usual kibble to make it more immediately rewarding. Don't raise the bowl — there's some debate about raised feeders and bloat risk in large breeds, and floor level is fine for him. Within a few days he'll have the technique down and his eating time should stretch considerably, which is exactly what you need to cut that air intake.

Great — it's a simple change with a real impact for a dog like him. If after a couple of weeks the flatulence is still bad even with slower eating, it's worth going back to your vet to rule out a dietary intolerance alongside the aerophagia, but in most cases the feeder alone does the job. Hope it makes life a bit more fragrant in your house.