If you’d like your dog to eat more slowly and get some brain stimulation while he’s at it, this eco-friendly dog food bowl from Paw5 , called the Rock ‘N Bowl, could be just the thing.

Note: This post is sponsored by Paw5.

Here’s how it works:

The bowl is actually a sort of puzzle. First, you fill the top of the bowl, which adorably looks like a paw print, with dog food.

Holes in the paw top allow some of the  food to fall through to the bottom of the bowl as the dog is eating.

Fido or Fifi smells the food in the bottom of the bowl and begins knocking the bowl over to get the food to fall out of the holes in the sides of the bowl.

The design keeps the dog from eating all its food quickly, and also forces the dog to have to think to get the rest of the food out of the bowl.

Why Is It So Good For Your Dog?

The Rock ‘N Bowl feeds (no pun intended) your dog’s instincts for foraging, like it would do in the wild.

It also helps slow your dog down when it’s eating. A hungry dog might snarf down a bowl full of food in less than a minute. This bowl helps the dog take its time.

Plus, the bowl stimulates your dog’s brain by forcing it to solve a problem if it wants to eat. All good!

What Makes the Rock ‘N Bowl “Eco Friendly”?

Dogs can be as susceptible to toxic chemicals in products as people are. This bowl is made of phthalate-free plastic, so your dog won’t be ingesting any chemicals that could mess with its reproductive hormones. 

The bowl, which holds four cups of food, is manufactured in the U.S., using a closed-loop, zero-waste manufacturing process. 

It’s also durable and dishwasher-safe. 

At Big Green Purse, we’re constantly urging you to shift your spending to greener products as a way to protect yourself and your family, and send a message to manufacturers to clean up their act. You can make those same shifts to protect your dog, and motivate companies that manufacture products for our pets to get rid of any toxic chemicals they might be using.

Thumbs Up, Paw5!

Don’t Miss More Tips on Green Pet Care Right Here.

NOTE: Sponsored posts allow us to introduce you to eco-friendly products that you might not otherwise be aware of. Please know that our editorial opinions remain our own. We do not feature products that don’t meet our criteria for sustainability. Thanks.

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Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Environmental Working Group (EWG) studied 20 dogs and 40 cats. The researchers discovered that the animals were contaminated with 48 of 70 industrial chemicals tested. Average levels of many chemicals were substantially higher in companion animals than is proportionally typical for people, with 2.4 times higher levels of stain-and grease-proof coatings (perfluorochemicals) in dogs, 23 times more fire retardants (PBDEs) in cats, and more than 5 times the amounts of mercury, compared to the average levels the CDC and EWG found in the people they studied.

How do our pets get exposed to these toxins? They walk across lawns that harbor pesticide residues. They breathe in indoor air pollutants. They lie on furniture or carpeting that’s been treated with fire retardants. Pets play close to the floor, often licking the ground as well as their paws, a habit that greatly increases both their exposures to chemicals and the resulting health risks. And because their lifespans are compressed – dogs develop and age seven or more times faster than children — pets also develop health problems more rapidly.

For pets as for people, the result of seemingly harmless actions is a body burden of complex mixtures of industrial chemicals never tested for safety. Health problems in pets span high rates of cancer in dogs and, as with my Midnight, skyrocketing incidence of hyperthyroidism in cats.

How can you protect your pet?

· Avoid lawn chemicals. Stick to organic fertilizers if you maintain grass. Keep your pet off lawns that have been chemically treated. Replace your own lawn with native grasses, stones, and other groundcovers that require nothing other than local climate conditions to grow.

· Eliminate products that pollute indoor air. Replace aerosol air fresheners and fragrance-based cleansers with fragrance-free options. Substitute non-toxic bug repellents for chemical pesticides. Open windows to air out rooms. Simmer cinnamon sticks and cloves in a small pot of water to refresh your home.

· Clean furniture and carpets with vegetable- based soap and water. Avoid industrial- strength floor cleaners whose left-behind ‘shine’ contains chemicals that could compromise your pet’s health. Ask professional carpet cleaners to use certified eco-friendly cleaning products.

· Buy an organic cotton towel or throw rug for your pet’s bed and for your furniture. Protect your pet from the fire retardants found in most upholstery and carpeting with organic fabrics you can launder in biodegradable detergent.

· Choose safer toys. Muttropolis sells toy flowers for cats made from recycled plastic and certified organic catnip. Olive Green Dog sells toys made from non-toxic plastic for dogs, as well as shampoos, soaps, cookies, and more.

Want a short-cut to more eco-friendly pet supplies? Check out our Amazon store.

Want to read other pet posts?

Spoil Your Pup and Protect the Environment

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The 20 dogs and  40 cats EWG studied were contaminated with 48 of 70 industrial chemicals tested. Average levels of many chemicals were substantially higher in pets than is typical for people, with 2.4 times higher levels of stain-and grease-proof coatings (perfluorochemicals) in dogs, 23 times more fire retardants (PBDEs) in cats, and more than 5 times the amounts of mercury, compared to average levels in people found in national studies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and EWG.

“Like humans, pets are also exposed to toxic chemicals on a daily basis, and as this investigation found, are contaminated at higher levels,” said Jane Houlihan, VP for Research at EWG. “The presence of chemicals in dogs and cats sounds a cautionary warning for the present and future health of children as well. This study demonstrating the chemical body burden of dogs and cats is a wake-up call for stronger safety standards from industrial chemical exposures that will protect all members of our families, including our pets.”

  “This study shows that our pets are susceptible to the absorption of potentially harmful chemicals from our environment just as we are. Perhaps even more troubling is that these chemicals have been found in higher levels in pets than in humans, implying potential harmful consequences for their health and well being and the need for further study,” said Dr. John Billeter, DVM, the veterinarian who conducted the animal tests.

Just as children ingest pollutants in tap water, play on lawns with pesticide residues, or breathe in an array of indoor air contaminants, so do their pets. But with their compressed lifespans, developing and aging seven or more times faster than children, pets also develop health problems much more rapidly. Pets, like infants and toddlers, have limited diets and play close to the floor, often licking the ground as well as their paws, greatly increasing both their exposures to chemicals and the resulting health risks.

Under current federal law, chemical companies do not have to prove chemicals are safe before they are used in products, including pet toys and other products for our companion animals. For pets as for people, the result is a body burden of complex mixtures of industrial chemicals never tested for
safety. Health problems in pets span high rates of cancer in dogs and skyrocketing incidence of hyperthyroidism in cats. Genetic changes can’t explain the increases in certain health problems among pets, leaving scientists to believe that chemical exposures play a significant role.

View the complete research at EWG.

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