Dog Product Review: Slopper Stopper Dripless Water Bowl

Dog dig in his water bowl? The Slopper Stopper Dripless Water Bowl is the perfect solution.

Before Slopper Stopper

I adopted Patch, a 6 year old English Setter boy in February 2020.  It didn't take long to learn that he loved to play in water....and digging in the water bowl was one of his favorite pastimes.  He could clear a bowl and flood the kitchen in 30 seconds flat.  Then he would tromp through the puddles with his big muddy paws making for quite a disaster area with potential for dangerous slips and falls.

I have another dog Max, so limiting the quantity or timing of water placement wasn't a viable option. 

What's a dog mom to do?  Well....hit the Goodsearch search engine, of course!

I plugged in "dog digging water bowl" which brought up a few websites suggesting reasons why a dog might dig in the water bowl. Many had behavior modifications or alternate resource suggestions like "give them a kiddie pool if they are hot".....raise the bowl so they can't see their reflection.  Buy a fountain....they must like the water moving. 

OY!  I could just see the dog, fresh out of the pool dripping the accumulation of water from his 50 lb. frame all around the kitchen pleased there still was an opportunity to dig in the bowl. OR, pulling over a bowl on a raised platform adding distance to his flood capabilities OR batting at the waterfall with his paws to increase trajectory. Not solutions that I had in mind.  

 

After splashing he would walk through it

Also listed in the search results was a product review site touting the "5 Best Dog Water Bowls For Sloppy Drinkers: No More Messy" Not exactly the problem at hand, but I went to see what they had to offer.  None seemed to touch upon the digging problem, but there were links to Amazon. 

There ya go.....when in doubt.....Amazon to the rescue.

While perusing some water dishes that were great for travel, no flip, no spill, etc. I spied a video at the bottom of the one of the screens.....There was a photo of a golden puppy with his paws splashing out water from a bowl.  I played the video touting "Slopper Stopper Dripless Water Bowl" and it was as if Patch could have been the video headliner.  EUREKA! 

I was a bit taken aback by the $49.95 price tag.  Was I really going to spend $50 on a dog bowl when I already have every type of dog bowl imaginable after 40+ years of dog rescue?  I always try to stick to stainless steel for durability and ability to keep them clean and bacteria free.  Then I thought about the 3 times I had mopped the floor before lunch and I clicked the "add to cart" button without further hesitation.

I patiently waited the two days for the bowl arrival.  I hopped in the car to get the mail as soon as Alexa announced "a shipment has arrived".  I opened it, read the instructions, did a thorough cleaning with soap and water and set it up.  

Nice and tidy now.

Now to await the results.  Two days and the kitchen was no longer a flood zone.....the patio still was with the open stainless bowl serving as the water trough and above ground mini-pool. 

Both Patch and Max seemed ok with it and their water intake didn't seem affected in any way.  I waited 4 more days to be sure and then took the plunge and purchased a second FIFTY DOLLAR water bowl for the patio.  Best $100 I ever spent in two weeks.

Bought a second for the patio

Bonus is, when my friend's labby girl comes over I don't have to race to pick up the water bowl to prevent the "bowl flipper" from making a mess.  There is good weight behind the Slopper Stopper and she can no longer stand on the edge to flip the bowl over.

I chose the medium size insert after thinking about if Patch's paws could fit in the large insert's hole.  It was a good choice.  No matter which size insert you choose, the bowl holds a gallon of water so I'm not refilling all the time.  If a dog has the need of a raised bowl, the company has you covered.....there is a stand which is sold separately.

And yes, Patch frequently lies down to eat and drink.  Not sure what is up with that but it doesn't seem to have an adverse affect on him.  It's on the list of things to ask the vet during his next visit.

It's easy to clean and has eliminated the flooded kitchen and patio problems.  Slopper Stopper works for us. 

Less work for me

Patch's Canine Peanut Butter Balls

In early February I adopted Patch, a 5.5 year old English Setter boy who has tested positive for Lyme disease and anaplasmosis. 

He's not a food motivated dog, which to me is perplexing.  He turned his nose up at any treats I had in the house, including the homebaked senior treats I created for the late and great Jorja and Elliot.

Patch is the first dog I met who didn't gobble the soft, pumpkin/oatmeal based cookies.  Even Max, adopted in November 2019 is a big fan.



So, I decided it was time to find what might get Patch's jowls drooling. 

I thought I would start with a peanut butter flavor.  I mean, who can resist peanut butter?  I tried a few variations and this one seems to be a hit.  It's easy to put together and doesn't require a mixer.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 grated carrot (I use the nutribullet)
1/4 cup organic peanut butter (no additives)
1 tbsp flaxseed
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil melted
1 egg
1-1/2 cup oatmeal

Combine carrot, peanut butter, flaxseed and coconut oil in a bowl.
Beat egg and stir into mixture.  Stir in oatmeal a little at a time until all is combined.

form into 1/2 inch balls (gloves recommended) and place on parchment lined cookie tray.

Bake for 10 minutes at 350 then turn off oven and let sit in oven for 45 minutes. Remove and cool. 

Refrigerate. Makes approx. 50 treats

English Setter Déjà vu

Patch and Max

 When you adopt senior or special needs dogs, they aren't necessarily with you for very long. Unfortunately in the past 4 months 3 of my pups (Elliot, Loui and Jorja) all headed to the rainbow bridge.

Elliot (2007?-2019), Loui (2011?-2019) and Jorja (2006-2020)

Shortly after Elliot passed I was looking so see if there were any senior setters in need and I ran across a photo that could have been Elliot's twin. I looked and read the story of Max, a six year old boy from Indiana who is blind in one eye and soon to be completely blind. He traveled to me arriving on November 17th and is a wonderful addition to the family.

Just weeks later Loui needed exploratory surgery to determine if what the doctor felt in his abdomen was cancer. They removed a grapefruit size mass from his intestines along with his spleen that looked suspiciously diseased. Unfortunately, Loui's heart stopped while in recovery and they could not revive him. I was devastated.

Jorja, Max and I plodded on with life. Jorja (age 13.5) had been diagnosed with severe arthritis last year. She began receiving monthly injections when she came up lame one day in early autumn. The CBD oil and carprofen were no longer being effective to keep her pain free. The injection worked for a time, but then she began struggling again. In early January she stopped eating full meals and began losing weight. A steroid shot was given on a Friday to try to stimulate appetite and she managed through the weekend, but by Monday I knew it was her time.  She would not eat and she couldn't stay up, even with help.

When I adopted Elliot in 2013 he was in pretty sad shape including having a cancerous tumor hanging from his neck. It was at that time I made the decision that moving forward I would only adopt senior or special needs dogs.

Jorja came to me in 2017 at age 10 and within months she was diagnosed with breast cancer which was successfully treated with two surgeries. Loui was adopted in 2018 at age 8, heartworm positive and with a leg that had at one time been broken but never reset. They were all really super dogs that just weren't perfect in a traditional "buy them at the pet store" sense. But they were PERFECT companions.

Max (age 6) is a huge comfort. I adopted him via Our English Setter Rescue (OESR) which is based in Ohio but has volunteers throughout the country. They maintain a Facebook group for adopters/fosters to ask questions and I am learning quite a few things from the posts. Dogs in need of fostering and those ready for adoption are posted.

Patch is one of those dogs and is my first venture into being a foster mom. He is age 5.5, positive for anaplasmosis and lyme disease. He was rescued in Virginia from a unpleasant situation covered with ticks. OESR saw that he was quickly neutered, bathed and vetted by an angel named Deanna. He arrived this past weekend via a transport chain of 8 wonderful souls who volunteered to drive him down to me in Florida.

He is quite the beautiful dog but OY, is he a pigpen. He lies in the dirt and brings it all in the house. Then it dawned on me.....I frequently called Jorja "pigpen" because she would come inside and by the time she got up from the kitchen mat there would be a cloud of dirt reminiscent of the Charles Schulz character.

Patch is identical in color and in conformation to the late and great Jorja. Patch is just a somewhat larger version. He is a tad worse than Jorja in the pigpen category since he digs in the water bowl, flooding the kitchen and walking through it with his GIANT dirt covered paws. The mops are getting a workout but his angelic face takes the sting out of the constant mopping. Hopefully the new "Slopper Stopper Dripless Water Bowl" I ordered will at least limit the flooding. Can't wait for it to arrive tomorrow.

Patch, like Jorja is in constant motion patrolling the property when he is outside.  He does laps...always on the hunt.

By the same token, Max could be Elliot's clone. He goes outside and stays in one area, hunting lizards.  I even find myself accidentally calling him Elliot from time to time. He is soft, mild mannered and quiet. He doesn't drag dirt into the house and neither did Elliot. I guess white and orange Setters just aren't dirt attractants. 

I glanced up the other day to see Patch and Max standing side by side in the yard.  The two dogs are so different personality-wise yet the similarity to their same-colored predecessors is striking.

That's when I had my déjà vu moment. It was as if Jorja and Elliot were back. 

Jorja and Elliot Dec 2018