What’s The Best Dog Food Mat? Reviews & Buyer’s 2022 Guide

Food and water spillage can be a tedious task that may require your time and energy. Not to mention, it can also be a breeding ground for germs, molds, and bacteria. Although unavoidable, you can provide functional devices that may help you with the mess. Particularly, you can look for the appropriate food mat that suits your dog's needs.

This tier gives you various options of the best dog food mats to choose from which can be tailored to your dog's requirements.

Contents

We already did all the research for you. If you're in a hurry and just want to see the best dog food mat for messy eaters, here are our top choices.

PRODUCT / PRODUCT DETAILS

PRODUCT

PRODUCT DETAILS

1. PetFusion Large Food Mat For Dogs

2. PetFusion Premium Silicon Dog & Cat Food Mat

3. Wellness Complete Health For Small Breed Senior Dogs, Deboned Turkey & Peas Recipe

Our 9 Best Dog Food Mat For Messy Eaters

1. PetFusion Large Food Mat For Dogs

This dog feeding mat can be very spacious enough for your furry friend not to spill the dog food and water across the floor and enough to keep you from doing a massive clean-up operation. The raised edge prevents any fluid to leave the pet food mad and is redirected to the grooves and crevices. It uses a non-toxic, anti-microbial, stain-resistant, and waterproof food-grade silicone material. It is rigid and durable and at the same time, it can be easily folded.

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2. PetFusion Premium Silicon Dog & Cat Food Mat

This sleekly designed dog feeding mat is manufactured using food-grade silicone, guaranteeing safety for your dogs. This pet food mat has three available sizes to fit your pet's size. Its flexible design makes it easy to clean but it can be very hard to carry across a room when it is filled with too much dog food and water. The anti-slip properties of this dog mat are due to the minute bumps on the top and bottom of the mat.

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3. Bone Dry DII Non-Slip Dog Food Mat

If you are a pet owner that puts design as one of the criteria for choosing a dog feeding mat, then this non-slip mat is ideal for you. It is available in two different sizes that fit your dog's needs. Unlike other dog feeding mats, the Bone Dry non-slip dog food mat is ultra-absorbent that prevents spillage before it stains your precious floor. Additionally, it has a rubber waterproof backing that prevents any moisture to seep through the fabric. It also has an easy clean key feature to keep your time to yourself instead of exerting time and effort.

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4. Loving Pets Bella Spill-Proof Pet Mat

The mat comes with an interesting design molded into a shape of a bone with embossed tiny bone shapes. This dog bowl mat is available in two different sizes and two color variations to choose from. Unlike other dog feeding mats made with dangerous plastic material, the Loving Pets pet mat uses BPA-free materials. Without this compound, you will no longer worry about the health issues that may arise with exposure to the compound.

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5.DogBuddy Dog Food Mat

Many customers would agree that it should be one of the best dog food mats available in the market. The raised edges keep spills contained off of the floor. It is manufactured with an anti-skid surface to let the bowl sit still while your dog is eating its meal. This uses a silicone material that is non-toxic and makes the cleaning pretty easy as it is dishwasher safe. This dog bowl mat suites medium and large dog breeds.

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6. Humble Pet Food Mat Feeding Tray

This dog food mat contains a raised edge to prevent the spilled mess from the food bowls. It is manufactured with FDA-approved silicones that are used as a waterproofing material that is non-slip and non-toxic. Like any other silicone dog feeding mat, it is can easily be folded and can be easily cleaned by hand or placed in the dishwasher.

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7. Hubulk Feeding Mat For Large Dogs

It has a variety of color variations and comes in two sizes. It is made with a flexible material which is a food-grade silicone that is non-porous that collects molds and food debris. The mat is manufactured with a raised edge with a height of a quarter of an inch. It is easy to roll for easy carrying, unlike most dog mats.

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8. Hoki Found Silicone Waterproof Pet Food Mat

This silicone dog feeding mat is non-toxic, non-allergenic that is safe for your pet. It is also heat resistant and is easy to throw in the dishwasher for cleaning with ease. It is manufactured with a raised outer lip which is very useful for containing spills. During vigorous meal times, the mat remains on the area as this mat has anti-slip properties.

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9. Amazon Basics Silicone Waterproof Pet Food Mat

Amazon provides a one-year warranty for their waterproof design that effectively protects your floor from stains that can be caused by the ravenous feeding sessions with your dog. It has an anti-slip feature the secures the mat from moving. Its flexible design enables easy storage.

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Why Your Pet Needs A Dog Food Mat?

Having a certain feeding area for your pet would help establish a routine for your furry friend. To do this, you would want to find a quiet spot and feed your pup in that same area every mealtime and establish that routine.

However, having this permanent feeding spot may involve very chaotic scenery. To prevent your pet's food to mess up the place, dog placemats come very handy. Placing a feeding mat – preferably a waterproof mat – would help prevent floor stains from spilled contents while your dog is eating. This will also prevent your delicate wooden floor from constant exposure to water and moisture from wet dog food.

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Types Of Dog Food Mat Available

Dog food mats can be bought in different materials and designs. The most common of them are listed to give you more insights and help you decide on what type of feeding mat to choose.

Plastic

Particularly, these are feeding trays that have a flat and hard surface that cannot be bent and can be picked up easily making them easy to carry around – especially when there is spilled food and water. Usually, these have high edges around them. The drawback is that it can't be easily folded or bent over and is usually not suitable for dishwashers.

Silicone

Silicone dog feeding mats are typically safe and non-allergenic. However, you must choose Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved silicone to ensure that the things that you give to your pup are 100% safe even when they lick or chew on it. FDA-approved silicone is also flexible and dishwasher safe which makes cleaning easier.

However, the disadvantage is that since they can be easily bent, picking them up without caution can cause the spillage to be tipped over the floor which you want to avoid. Silicone feeding mat usually has a small lip around their edge that is approximately a quarter of an inch.

Non-Slip

Another type of dog food mat is the non-slip feeding mat. This dog food mat usually prevents food and water bowls from skidding off during mealtimes. Essentially, this dog bowl mat is made with silicone or rubber which enables it to stay in place. Other dog food mats have bumps and ridges on the surface to keep food bowls in place.

Fabric

Feeding mats that are made out of fabric materials should have a rubber material at the back which can be successful in preventing fluids from reaching the floor and create notable stains, especially on the wooden floors. Fabric feeding mats are usually made out of microfiber which makes them effective water absorbent and can soak approximately one bowl of spilled water. This type of feeding mat sets a huge difference from other feeding mats available in the market since it can be included in a cold wash washing machine for easy cleaning. These feeding mats also have a variety of colors and patterns to choose from for aesthetic purposes.

Personalized

More than the functionality, personalized feeding mats are more leaning to customization depending on the dog owners' discretion. You can put a personal touch on your dog's feeding mat as you can add your dog's name on the dog bowl mat and can be customized depending on your liking. You may choose from different colors and designs as well as various materials.

Important Features To Consider

Choosing the appropriate feeding mats for your dog can be confusing as there are many variations of them available in the market. Before actually buying a bowl mat for your dog, you might what to consider the following key features that feeding mats must possess.

Material

Food and water bowl mats as made of varied materials. Some of the materials being used for it include plastics, FDA-grade silicone rubber, and fabric. Each of these materials performs one common function of deterring spilled pet food and creating unwanted marks on the floor. Essentially, the variation in materials used for the feeding mat can be outweighed by the functional aspect of the product.

Waterproofing

It is an important aspect to consider if you are looking for the best dog food mats. Put into mind the “waterproof” is different from “water-resistant”. A waterproof mat will be able to handle full spillages while water-resistant mats can only handle a few splashes. If you want to protect hardwood floors from stains due to spills during every meal time, a waterproof feeding mat can be a good choice to keep moisture and food residue from reaching and ruining your floors. If you have a water-resistant mat, you might what to upgrade to other waterproof feeding mat choices that are readily available.

Appropriate Size

Considering your pet's needs may require you to provide the correctly-sized feeding mat for your pet and cover all spills. In choosing the appropriate size of your dog's feeding mat, you must take into account the size of the dog itself. The ideal feeding mat should be large enough to cover the area where the food and water bowls are.

As pet owners, you should be aware by now that dogs of larger breeds are more enthusiastic than smaller dogs when it comes to eating. Small breed dogs are quite timid as they eat their food while larger breeds are quite voracious when eating and may make few spillages in the feeding area. Having that said, you might get the idea that large dogs need a more functional feeding mat to cover up all the messes that can happen every feeding time.

Ease Of Cleaning

Some of the key features of some of the best mats include having bumps, raised dots, and ridges on the surface to prevent the dog bowl from shifting around. These ridges also have the capability of trapping any food debris and water and prevent from reaching the floor. A non-slip mat may also have a non-skid bottom feature to prevent your dog from dragging the mat all over your place.

Although this non-slip feature is an amazing feat, having this design can be hard to clean up because of the presence of the crevices. If you want to have convenience when cleaning the mats, you may choose to procure a dishwasher-safe dog food mat, machine washable, or a mat that can be easily rinsed over the tap.

Color & Style

Although not necessarily one of the key features to look out for in dog feeding mats, color and style are important if you want to blend the dog food tray with the interior design of your house. For instance, you do not want to buy a neon green dog feeding mat and use it in a house with a minimalism motif and a black and white color scheme.

Shape

The shape of the dog feeding mat is also one of the many key features that need to be taken into account. Typical dog mats have a rectangular shape while some are more elongated than others. In choosing the right shape for your dog, you want to find one that does not require your dog to step on the mat to eat or drink. With this you will prevent your dog from stepping on the mess that is created and spread it across the house, keeping your place and your pet's feeding area clean.

Raised Edge

Typically, all quality dog food mats contain raised outer edges which can be an extra line of protection for your wood floors as it acts to contain any spills. Without the raised outer edge, an event of heavy spillages will result in leaks onto the floor. If you have a messy eater, a feeding mat with a raised outer lip should be considered to prevent strains on your dog's neck. A more timid dog, on the other hand, does not necessarily need dog feeding mats with a raised outer lip.

Tips For Dealing With A Messy Eater

Unlike some lucky pet parents with dogs that eat sparingly and at a normal rate, other dogs need interventions as some of them act as if they've never seen or eaten any food for a long period every time their food is served.

To give you a concrete image, dog bowls are slipping all over the floor as the dog greedily attacks the bowl. Water is spilling everywhere as the dog slurps carelessly the water from the dog water bowls. This scenario can often go along with owning big dogs or typically any breed that is a greedy and messy eater.

To deal with the messy mealtimes, here are some tried and tested tips for your dog's messy eating habits

Mess-Proof The Dining Space

You can go to food and water bowls that are deep enough to prevent food debris from flying off from your dog's mouth and feeding bowls. Likewise, choose a food bowl that has a non-slip bottom in order for it not to slide during mealtime and avoid any water and food spills. Additionally, you may use feeding mats during every feeding time to catch the food and water spills that may ruin your floor.

Establish Better Eating Habits

Changing your dog's eating habits may be a great help for your messy eaters. Other than the fact that slowing down your dog's eating pace will lessen the mess, it would also be of great help for aiding its health and digestion. You can give your dog slow feeding bowls to slow down its pace.

Switch Up The Routine

If your dog only eats only once a day, you can try switching up the routine and break the allotted food into smaller food portions to be consumed all throughout the day. In this manner, your pup will not be as eager to eat as before and gradually make a lesser mess every time. Likewise, you might also want to address the stressors inside the room that cause your pet's excitement like for example, the presence of another dog on the premises.

Check For Underlying Medical Issues

Your dog's act of dropping bits and pieces from the food bowl may be an indicator that your dog has an underlying health issue that needs to be medically addressed by a licensed professional. Some of the common health-related causes are teeth or gum issues or optical problems. Before you blame messy eaters, check whether you have identified the root cause of the problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I clean my dog’s food mat?

You have to clean your dog's food mat every after use. You have to treat the mat as if it is your own plate. In order to prevent mold, and bacteria from growing on the mat, you have to put it in the dishwasher as soon as your dog is finished eating.

What size feeding mat should I get for my dog?

The size of the feeding mat that you should get for your dog should be in accordance with your dog's size and the sizes of its food and water bowls. Your dog's food and water bowl should easily fit on the same mat, side by side. The mat should have enough space in order for the bowls to fit without knocking each other off. Similarly, if the bowls are hanging over the edge of the feeding mat, spills may not be caught inside the lip and end up staining the hardwood floors.

Essentially, if you have large breed dogs, you need to have large dog bowls and require you a relatively large dog bowl mat. On the other hand, a small dog bowl would suffice for your small dog and would not require you to buy the large mats.

What is the safest material for dog bowls?

Stainless steel is the safest material for dog food bowls. It is non-porous, which means that it would not hold any significant amounts of bad bacteria and it is easy to clean. [1]No wonder, it is the most common go-to of chefs anywhere and remains on top of all other materials used for food bowls.

How do you clean a dog feeding mat?

In order to clean your feeding mat, you can simply rinse it in the sink using warm soapy water, dry it using a piece of cloth, and wash it again by hand or using a dishwasher. It is necessary to wipe the spilled water on the mat first using a dry cloth before trying to move it to prevent further spillage.

Conclusion

Despite the long list of choices that you can choose from, according to our careful research, PetFusion Large Food Mat For Dogs remains at the top of this list. The cons clearly are outweighed by the pros which makes it very appealing for most dog owners. This dog food mat tops this tier as it is an effective deterrent to food spills that might ruin your floor. In essence, you should look into the functionality of the mat and make sure that it does its job.

Editor's Choice

PetFusion Large Food Mat For Dogs

Patrick Wilson

With over a decade of experience in the animal veterinary field, Dr. Wilson enjoys getting to know pets and their families on a personal level. He sees them as an extension of his own family. Hence, he is rewarded on a daily basis as he helps strengthen the special bond between pet owners and their beloved companions.

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