{"id":337228,"date":"2025-12-10T05:21:55","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T05:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/lick-mats-for-dogs-for-christmas-mcconnell-publishing-inc\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T05:21:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T05:21:55","slug":"lick-mats-for-dogs-for-christmas-mcconnell-publishing-inc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=337228","title":{"rendered":"Lick Mats for Dogs for Christmas? \u2013 McConnell Publishing Inc."},"content":{"rendered":"


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[We interrupt this program for a public service announcement: <\/strong>Amazing news about my forthcoming fiction novel!\u00a0AWAY TO ME\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>will be featured in a\u00a0Goodreads\u00a0giveaway\u00a0from December 2nd<\/sup> thru December 16th!\u00a075 lucky winners will receive Advanced Reader Copies. The book actually comes out Februrary 24, so you can be the first in line! (And, great Christmas present!) Here is the link:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/giveaway\/show\/427506-away-to-me<\/a><\/p>\n

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Okay, back to regularly scheduled programming: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Awhile ago, shopping in one of our go-to stores<\/strong> (Duluth Trading<\/strong><\/a>), I saw a \u201click mat\u201d for dogs, and thought \u201cwhy not?\u201d Recently, Whole Dog had an article, Best Dog Lick Mats<\/a><\/strong>, and I thought: \u201cWhat a great Christmas present for a dog lover\u2019s dog!\u201d So I ordered two more, based on their recommendations, and here are the results.<\/p>\n

Tall Tails Foraging Mat<\/strong><\/a> (purchased at Duluth Trading): It says, \u201csatisfies the instinctual activity of foraging for food.\u201d And, \u201cSlows down eating and makes feeding fun!\u201d It\u2019s made of silicon, it\u2019s dish washer safe, and is said to \u201cslow down eating for better digestion\u201d and keeps \u201cdogs happy and healthy.\u201d It comes in different styles (clover, below, versus river rock for example), has a skid resistant bottom, and can be put in the freezer. When I first got it I tried putting in kibble (which they show in one of their photos), and Maggie struggled so hard to get the kibble out I took pity on her and pulled it out myself. However, as you\u2019ll see in a video below, she was successful at getting out wet food (hydrated Honest Kitchen, part of her usual dinner).<\/p>\n

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Woof Lick Mat<\/a><\/strong>: This is Whole Dog\u2019s 2nd listed option, 3.5 paws, stating \u201cThe Woof LickMat is a great suction-backed option, feels sturdy and relatively rigid.\u201d It is also made of silicon, has a \u201cpre-portioned mixing bowl\u201d in the middle (which feels unnecessary), has suction cups on the bottom to keep it stable, and if desired, can come with a mix to hydrate and use to smear around the mat.<\/p>\n

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Lickimat Classic Soother<\/a>:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Whole Dog describes this as a great calming activity for your dog, not so much a puzzle toy or feeding device, but something like tongue-based meditation for dogs. I had quite the time getting it. I ordered it twice, never got the first one, and had given up on the second order after a few weeks when it finally came yesterday.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m interested in your experience <\/strong>if you\u2019ve used them, but the ones we need to ask about the mats are the dogs, right? Here\u2019s what happened when Skip and Maggie tried them out:<\/p>\n

First, I decided to see<\/strong> if it would be useful giving Skip the ointment (Optimmune) we put into his eyes every day, because he has Pannus (an auto-immune disease that causes blindness if not treated. Skip is super good about getting the ointment inserted onto his eyeball, but I wondered if a lick mat would make it even easier. I\u2019d say yes\u2013watch the video below and see how easily it went. The video below was taken while he is getting used to having the ointment applied while I\u2019m sitting\u2013I\u2019m switching from him lying down on his side, so that I don\u2019t have to get up and down. It has always gone smoothly enough, he is such a dear dog, but it takes some patience to let him work up to having his eyelids held open. I\u2019d say it took 30% to 50% less time with the lick mat, and he seemed more comfortable than ever. I\u2019d call this a win\/win.<\/p>\n

Do notice though, in the video,<\/strong> that I had to ask him to \u201cStand\u201d (which I usually use when he is moving his entire body) and \u201cStay\u201d to keep him motionless\u2013the licking action had to pause briefly for me to get the ointment into his eye. Notice too that he seemed uncomfortable when I first tried to put the med in his second eye, so I backed off and gave him a minute. That\u2013giving him agency and lots of yummy reinforcement made this daily requirement easy and almost fun.<\/p>\n