Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
by Dr Danielle Wille, Allambie Vet, NSW
These are plastic or silicon mats that are designed to slow down feeding. Food is smeared across the mat and the dog or cat licks it off. I use them as a way to reduce anxiety in dogs during a consult.
What’s good about it
There are different styles of LickiMats depending on how difficult you want to make it for the animal to get the food. I use them in most of my consults, particularly with puppies visiting for the first time. I want them to have a nice experience the first time they get a needle.
Some wet food smeared on a LickiMat when doing vaccinations make the whole process much easier. A lot of dogs are so excited about eating that they don’t even notice the needle going in. Owners who are waiting for their dog to react in some way are always pleasantly surprised.
We also sell LickiMats in the clinic. Many clients see it in use in the consult room and want one for home. We encourage people to use them for training their puppy not to be anxious when left alone. A little food treat on the LickiMat makes a huge difference as the dog starts to associate being left alone with a reward.
All the LickiMats are sturdy and can’t be chewed to pieces by most dogs. I did have one labrador manage to chew off a small piece but that’s extremely rare. The silicon versions are soft and bendy—great for small dogs and cats. The hard plastic version is for larger dogs.
What’s not so good
LickiMat can be problematic with dogs that have a tendency to food guard. When they’re eating off the mat and feel you touch the back of their neck to give the vaccine, they sometimes turn and get a bit aggressive. Once it happens, we put a warning in their file and give them a reward after the vaccine is administered.
