Over the last 5 years, I’ve watched lick mats transform some of the same old equipment for treating nervousness and tedium in canines and cats. That’s very true for the branded model LickiMat®.
They’re an ideal lend a hand, and I’m now not going to let you know to not use them. However I would like you to watch out.
What Is A Lick Mat?
A lick mat is a textured flat floor created from rubber, most often with suction cups to glue it to the ground. The trend at the best is designed to entice meals and make it onerous to devour briefly. The purpose is to get canines and cats to spend their time in licking as a substitute of different undesirable behaviours, or to relieve boredom and nervousness. In contrast to different sluggish feeders, licky mats advertise licking behaviour, as a substitute of meals looking for or foraging.
Makes use of For A LickiMat
The makes use of being promoted for the LickiMat® on their web site come with:
- Leisure & distraction
- Aid of tension & tension
- Boredom buster
- Gradual feeding
- Uncooked feeding
- Environmental enrichment
- Bettering oral well being
A few of these makes use of make a large number of sense. A lick mat is a good way to get a canine to tolerate unsightly eventualities like bathing, grooming, beauty care and vet visits. That’s simplest as long as your canine is very food-motivated.
You need to additionally use it as an support to crate coaching and getting your canine aware of automobile journeys. It’s additionally a good way to relieve tension in transient eventualities, like fireworks and thunderstorms, or house owners leaving the home.
So what’s the issue? At the start, one of the crucial claims make very little sense.
Do Lick Mats Support Oral Well being?
LickiMat’s producers declare that via stimulating saliva manufacturing it will probably blank the tongue, tooth and gums. Neatly, as somebody who’s well-acquainted with the literature on what in truth assists in keeping pets’ mouths blank, this commentary lacks any foundation if truth be told.
If truth be told, the varieties of treats getting used on those mats must logically make periodontal illness worse, now not higher. At all times take into account that periodontal illness in canines and cats follows the similar path because it does in people: you wouldn’t be expecting your tooth to be higher via licking peanut butter off a rubber tray both.
What concerning the declare that scraping the tongue freshens your puppy’s breath? Ludicrous. I’ve been a vet for with regards to 30 years, and I’ve by no means but observed unhealthy breath led to via tongues!
Are Lick Mats Calming?
One in all my main considerations now not simply with lick mats however extra normally is the distinction between being busy and being glad. Whilst I feel those merchandise are nice for fighting nervousness in aggravating eventualities, it’s a large declare to mention that such merchandise support nervousness that’s already provide. As with my court cases about Adaptil and Feliway, such claims may forestall canine and cat house owners opting for treatments that in truth lend a hand them.
Beware the producer declare that “the prolonged licking motion promoted via LickiMat releases a relaxing hormone”. To this point there’s no proof for nervousness aid with lick mats or any ‘hormone’ being launched. Sure, a mat may stay them busy and not more at risk of expressing nervous behaviours, however that’s now not the similar factor.
Those two court cases are minor quibbles in comparison with my considerations about protection. Listed below are two techniques.
Intestinal Obstruction & Hygiene
Up to now month we have now observed two animals want veterinary consideration on account of lick mats.
The primary is a canine referred to as Murphy. He used to be left on my own with a lick mat for only a second, and promptly chewed it up and swallowed it. Fortunately his house owners in an instant noticed what came about and taken him down. That’s his vomit within the image firstly.
The second one is Tex the cat. He ate a work of his lick mat with out any individual noticing. When he began vomiting, his proprietor realised what used to be incorrect. That’s his x-ray underneath; the white rectangle in his stomach is the piece, now blocking off his intestines.
There’s additionally an image above of that piece matched with the remainder of the mat, when we took it out. With out main surgical treatment, he would were in a large number of bother. The similar will have been true for Murphy in fact.
This must come as no marvel. Vets have at all times mentioned that anything else flavoured like meals, however now not digestible is terribly unhealthy. So right here’s the newly up to date record:
- corn cobs
- satay sticks
- icecream sticks
- meat wrapping
- cooked bones
- lick mats
How To Use Lick Mats Extra Safely
“You will have to absolutely teach your canine earlier than leaving her/him on my own with a LickiMat.” So say LickiMat.
Those merchandise are being promoted for pets left house on my own, which for my part is insanity. Within the normal enthusiasm for anything else new, we’ve forgotten some fundamental laws.
It’s my sturdy view that no canine must be left on my own with a lick mat. Even after ‘coaching’, no matter this is. There’s no telling when a canine gets pissed off and simply bite it up. Cats could be at a decrease chance, however Tex presentations us it will probably nonetheless occur, particularly with the softer silicone merchandise.
Some other factor: be careful that those mats are correctly wiped clean after every use. That is in particular vital for those who’re the usage of them with uncooked meals. It might be good to shop for ones which might be dishwasher protected.
What Can I Use As an alternative Of A Lick Mat?
I’m now not adverse to the usage of meals as a distraction once they want to be left. In the event you do, I like to recommend sluggish feeder bowls, Kong Wobblers, Bobalots and Nina Ottoson merchandise with lengthy observe data of confirmed protection. Or you’ll conceal meals round the home or lawn.
To be honest, LickiMat make a ‘Tuff’ model, or even a keeper tray to make chewing more difficult. However I’ve observed each the pink and black rubber Kongs destroyed and know simplest too effectively how harmful a decided canine will also be.
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Via Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his staff right here.
