{"id":1122,"date":"2016-05-03T12:52:52","date_gmt":"2016-05-03T16:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/phosdev.com\/todaysveterinarynurse\/?post_type=articles&p=1122"},"modified":"2022-06-15T19:47:31","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T19:47:31","slug":"feeding-puzzles-for-nutrition-and-enrichment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarynurse.com\/nutrition\/feeding-puzzles-for-nutrition-and-enrichment\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeding Puzzles for Dogs and Cats Help Boost Nutrition and Enrichment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past few years, the indoor environment that we offer our pets has garnered increasing attention. While our current preventive health initiatives have greatly reduced the number of pets that die from preventable problems, we have not addressed our pets\u2019 mental health to the same degree.<\/p>\n

Battling Boredom<\/h2>\n

While we routinely leave our residences for work and socialization, we confine our pets (for their own safety) to our homes, often strictly to the indoor environment. This substantially limits the variety of stimuli, both mental and physical, available to them. When dogs and cats are confined indoors without adequate mental stimulation, trouble can ensue. Ensuring that they have housemates and toys can help, but many animals do not engage in play when humans are not around to share in it. Pets may express boredom in the form of aggression to housemates and owners, destruction of furniture and other household items, and anxiety-related issues.1<\/sup><\/p>\n

HOW I DO IT<\/div>
My cats have a selection of 4 puzzles. I put all their dry food in these puzzles twice daily. Canned food is provided in bowls because I mix specific medications for each cat into each portion, and using bowls allows me to ensure the right cat consumes at least some part of the right medication\u2026before the inevitable bowl switch. Half of my puzzles are homemade, and half were bought off the clearance rack at the pet store. Each of my cats has her favorite puzzle, but when they\u2019re hungry, they will check them all!<\/p>\n

A note about food puzzle balls: Personally, I don\u2019t use them because my cats would inevitably knock them under the furniture or in a corner, making it harder for me to find them at feeding time. I prefer my puzzles to be less mobile, or confined to a specific area for use.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

A study done by Beth Strickler, DVM, DACVB, looked at owner engagement and 6 specific behavioral issues in cats.2<\/sup> Strickler was able to demonstrate that the more involved owners were in engaging their cats daily, the fewer behavior-related issues they reported. Owner engagement primarily consisted of playing with the cats. Owners who played with their cat for 5 minutes each day reported fewer behavior problems than those who did not. The two most frequently reported behavior problems were aggression directed at the owners (36%) and periuria (24%).2<\/sup><\/p>\n

Even if owners are lucky enough for their pets to choose a nondestructive activity to relieve boredom, trouble can still ensue. For example, boredom-related eating can result in obesity, especially when combined with decreased activity levels. All animals evolved to acquire their food through activity, whether hunting, scavenging, or grazing. Wild canids, such as wolves, foxes, and coyotes, can spend up to 60% of their day searching for food.3,4<\/sup> No animal evolved to acquire its food from walking up to a full bowl! We\u2019ve all seen our pets and patients engage in hunting behavior, from a dog chasing a ball to a cat stalking a toy mouse. These activities provide exercise, mental stimulation and, if engaged in as part of playing with a person, social interaction.1<\/sup> What benefit does a bowl of food provide? Easy calories.<\/p>\n

Why Use Feeding Puzzles?<\/h2>\n

Feeding puzzles offer a way for owners to provide enrichment for their pets, encourage mental stimulation, and decrease overeating. Feeding puzzles can also make eating an interactive activity rather than just a source of nutrition.5<\/sup><\/p>\n

A feeding puzzle can be any toy or object that can contain food and requires the pet to work to find a way to get to that food.3<\/sup> A wide variety of commercial feeding puzzles from companies such as Kong, Premier, and Nina Ottosson is available at pet stores and online, ranging from relatively simple toys that scatter food as they are \u201chunted\u201d to complex, expensive models that require problem solving (FIGURE 1)<\/strong>. It is also fairly easy to make many of these toys at home, keeping both owner and pet engaged. BOX 1<\/strong> provides a list of links to instructions for do-it-yourself feeding puzzles.<\/p>\n

\"FIGUREFIGURE 1. A variety of dog feeding puzzles used for an active dog. Image courtesy of Judy Conley, LVT<\/span><\/a><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Feeding puzzles work well with the way cats prefer to eat, in multiple small meals daily. Even when a cat eats dry food from a bowl, it usually only takes a couple of kibbles at a time. This feeding pattern is ideal for a puzzle, which then makes the cat work for its food! For dogs, using a puzzle can slow down mealtime and provide mental stimulation. Who doesn\u2019t like to solve a puzzle and get a reward at the end?<\/p>\n

BOX 1 Do-It-Yourself Puzzle Resources<\/div>
\n