I bought this for mess prevention, and it really does that, but it also seems to have inadvertently eliminated my dog’s water regurgitation issue. He is a rescue, and panic drinks, so I have to limit his amounts and revisit his bowl tens of times a day. He has a raised platform and I’ve tried everything from slow feeders to jello to help him, I even took him to the vet to rule out mega esophagus, just in case. Since getting this the regurgitation has stopped, (she says tentatively as she knocks on wood). On a feeding platform, with the shape of the bowl and the position he has to hold his head/neck to get through the ring, it must just be the right combination of esophageal geometry. I’ve been able to increase the amount of water I give him at a serving and though I’ll probably never be able to just fill it up, it has made life a bit better for us both. I bought two, would definitely buy again, and highly recommend this splash ring.