The Best Bowls for a Pug Dog

Overview

Choosing the right bowl for your Pug is an important task and there is much more to dishes and bowls than one may first think. There are some types of bowls that can have dire consequences ranging from contact reaction to trouble eating and even dangerous and sometimes fatal killer bloat.

Types of Bowls to Steer Clear Of

The #1 element is to NOT choose a bowl based on how cute it looks or how much your Pug might like the looks of it. Most dishes with prints, designs and all sorts of colors are actually the worst.

Let's look at what to avoid when choosing a bowl for your Pug puppy or adult dog:

Plastic - Keep away from all plastic bowls, even those that are BPA free. Many dogs have reactions to eating out of plastic dishes. This can often manifest as a gradual discoloration to the nose and/or to facial hairs.

Plastic bowls are also not recommended because they tend to scratch very easily from the paws and teeth. These tiny scratches are then perfect breeding crevices for bacteria. And even though you may be great about cleaning your Pug's dishes on a regular basis, it's best to avoid having to deal with germs at all.

Since these are very lightweight, they often slide all over (or tip), which can lead to a bad eating experience for a puppy or dog. And if your Pug will be home alone, you'll want his bowls to be super sturdy and essentially tip-proof.

Too large of a size - There are two issues associated with this. First, if the bowl is too large and too deep, a Pug will have trouble eating his food. This can lead to frustration and in turn, intolerance of the bowl.

The second issue with sizing, is that us humans tend to fill up whatever dish or plate we have in front of us. So, it's not uncommon for owners to feed their Pugs too much food at meal time if the bowl is over-sized. And with this breed, it's not uncommon to be a bit overweight.

Raised - While there are some really cute raised bowl sets and this may seem like a great option to make it easier for a Pug to eat, these are not a good idea for this breed. While there are many risk factors with bloat, which is a quick and very dangerous twisting of the stomach, it is believed that eating from a raised bowl is a contributing factor. And while more studies need to be done, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Concave design - Regular bowls which allow a dog to eat or drink fast is a known risk factor for bloat. Ahead, we'll look at the better options.

The Best Types of Bowls for a Pug

Now that we've looked at what to avoid and why, let's look at the features of ideal bowls and dishes for Pugs of all ages:

Stainless steel - This is the #1 choice of material for bowls. A quality stainless steel will resist scratches, offer zero chance of contact reaction and are generally much heavier and therefore stay in place better.

Though, if you have an aggressive eater, you may also want to obtain a bowl mat or choose bowls that are within a base, which keeps the dishes in place and also is great for catching any spills and messes.

Correctly sized - At most, your Pug will need two size changes in bowls as he matures. A small bowl for when he's a pup and a larger (but not huge one) for when he's an adult (1 year and up).

Floor level - Best is a dish that sits at floor level.

Slow-feeder - There are two great options to ensure that your Pug eats and drinks at a slow enough pace to avoid bloat. Keep in mind that drinking fast is a trigger of bloat. And also, that eating or drinking too fast is a common cause of a dog having excessive gas problems.

You can opt for a slow-feeding bowl itself, which is designed to promote slow eating by means of an inner protrusion that displaces the food. Or, if your Pug loves his current bowl, you can opt for a portion pacer. These are stainless steel balls, appropriately sized, that sit within the dish to displace food. As a dog noses at his food, the ball moves around.

Recommended Bowls for Pug Dogs

These are some of our top choices for bowls that fit all of the criteria as the best type to have for a Pug.