I have a 15 month Boxer which I would like to buy an elevated feeding stand for him. I have read that this is a good way to overcome potential problems with bloat that large chested dogs can suffer from.

I have tried all over to get one but having no luck.

I would appreciate everyones views on these elevated stands and if anyone could tell me where to buy them from it would be appreciated

Elevated feeding stands used to be recommended for those deep chested breeds like yours and mine (Weims) because it was thought that it reduced the risk of bloat/Gastric Torsion.  Recent studies have now reversed that opinion.  I have never fed mine from a height (although I can see a reason to do so if you have a giant breed such as a Great Dane).

You can spend a lot of money on elevated feeding stands or you can make your own.

Buy a plastic bucket or waste bin, cut the bottom out of it, turn it upside down and insert bowl.  It is more stable, cheaper, can be colour co-ordinated and is quieter.

(Graduate of the Blue Peter School of Technology) :D

We feed our two on elevated stands, due to the perceived wisdom when we started which was, as Tohme says, that it helped to prevent bloat in deep chested breeds.  Since the advice changed we decided to stick with the stands because the dogs do seem to prefer eating from an elevated position, especially the younger one who actually looks like a giraffe, with his legs splayed out, when eating from a bowl at ground level :)

Tohme's advice of adapting buckets is brilliant though :D  I wish I'd thought of that before going out and spending money on metal ones!

Lesley

I have a feeding stand in my kitchen with two bowls on each side but in my kennels I have a galvanised bucket which a large stainless steel feeding bowl fits into perfectly without having to be adapted luckily :)
Feeding raised is my choice and I wouldn't go back to feeding off the ground now.  I've had a dog survive torsion and feeding raised is far more comfortable for them.
Lara x

I have elevated feeding stand for my lab, which I got from pets at home it also has storage unit underneath .  I got it because he used to drive us mad chasing his bowls round the laminate flooring and food and water flying everywhere.

Michelle :)

Hi,

All my goldens are fed using elevated feeding stands I really like them,brought them at shows ,dogs seem happier fed this way, not chasing bowls around like previous poster said and tend not to bolt their food down as fast,very stable not noisy ,height can be adjusted as they grow non rust , I have two stands that take 4 bowls.The puppy bowl sits inside another container I have just now ,then he will have a proper stand as well just needs to be alittle bigger (only 12 weeks):-)

Briony:-)

have you tried your local supermarket? The black buckets they use to hold the fresh flowers are brilliant for elavating the bowls. The large  stainless steel bowls fit really well inside them. Supermarkets usually throw the buckets away so they are plentiful. M y newfs and saint Bern use them, and they last longer than the metal stands which I find bend with the force of the dog pushing into the bowl.