When your Tripawd won’t eat, you’ll do anything to get them to fill their bellies right? A new product called the Enjoy-a-Bowl may help. This pet food bowl seeks to help those dogs and cats with weakened appetites caused by surgery and pain medication side effects. But is it mean? Or a marvelous lifesaver? The debate begins.
Enjoy-a-Bowl May Perk Up Appetites
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This product caught our eye at the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas. After all, if anyone knows about getting pets to eat, it’s Tripawds parents. Amputation surgery recovery can diminish a healthy appetite in no time at all, and so can opiates and other pain medications.
The Enjoy-a-Bowl was created by Dr. Joe J Owens III, a Las Vegas veterinarian who understands this issue. Having seen many pet parents struggle with the heartbreak of trying to get a pet to eat after surgery or during illness, Dr. Owens came up with this unique product. Here’s how it works.
Is This Pet Food Product Mean or Marvelous?
Since it’s a brand new product, the Amazon reviews of Enjoy-a-Bowl are just now appearing. By all accounts it does what it’s supposed to do and the pet parents who have tried it are as happy as their full-bellied dogs and cats.
However, a few people have brought up opposing points of views such as
- “Call mspca for animal cruelty. This would the same as tying me to a chair and having the ice bowl just out of reach.”
- “research an appropriate diet for your dog instead of teasing them with palatable food that they can’t eat”
- and well-known real food for pets advocate Susan Thixton’s Enjoy-a-Bowl review said “To disguise a pet’s dislike of the pet feed with the smell of real food is (opinion) cruel and could result in a bigger health problem.”
These are all valid points that can lead to other arguments about feeding styles. But let’s get to the point about why this product was invented. When you are trying to get your recovering pet to eat what they are accustomed to eating all their lives (usually kibble) a product like this can be a lifesaver — literally. Changing up a pet’s diet right after surgery can lead to even bigger problems.
Clearly what this product is not meant to do is to ‘trick’ any otherwise healthy pet into eating low quality kibble they find distasteful. As Thixton stated, “If the pet doesn’t want the food – perhaps there is a reason why. Perhaps the pet smells a rancid fat or inferior meat protein.” This makes total sense to us, for otherwise healthy pets.
Overall we believe that Enjoy-a-Bowl is an interesting, but temporary feeding tool that can make life easier for Tripawds and their people after amputation surgery.
But really, we want to know what you think about Enjoy-a-Bowl, Tripawds Nation! Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Just my opinion. It is a nice idea but having one of the finickiest pups in the world I am not so sure how it will work. I have not tried this product, but I can tell you I know a handful of animals that would sniff around in confusion and when they don’t find the flavor they are smelling will walk away. I have hidden morsels of wonderful, stinky, smell good food in many a bowl only to have the one piece fished out and then the game is over.
It is an interesting idea, maybe it will work for animals that have a normally heartier appetite.
Jackie
Jackie, I totally agree. Our Jerry was an extremely picky eater, I wish this was around when he was with us so we could see how it works. Our Wyatt Ray, on the other hand, has only been picky when he’s doped up on post-op pain killers, so since he’s really good at getting himself into the surgical ward, I’m sure at some point we’ll get to test it on him.
It wouldn’t have worked with Pele. Like “Paws120” Pele would sort until she finds what she likes. After her amputation, I offered her the actual “good stuff” (meats) this bowl used to tease dogs into eating…she didn’t want it because she didn’t want to eat. She just needed to eat in her own time…not that I didn’t try everything I could think of to get her eating, so I understand (a little) why some people might want to try this.
As a ploy, I’m on the side of the bowl being mean. I would never dangle food in front of her that she wouldn’t get to eat when she was healthy, so why would I ever want to taunt my baby when she was at her weakest? Yes, definitely on team “It’s mean.”
Joanna, I totally see your point about needing to eat in her own time. We humans are the same way!
My initial gut reaction to this product was the same as yours “How mean!” But I don’t know, I guess I’m still torn about it because I know how hard it is to get animals to eat when they don’t want to, and it’s in their best interest to fight off illness. For me it’s a toss up.