Brodie's Story

There is nothing more troubling for a pet owner than a pet who can’t or won’t eat. After months of witnessing our dog Brodie regurgitate his food, lose weight, and live an increasingly uncomfortable life, our vet was finally able to diagnose him with canine megaesophagus, sometimes referred to as “mega-e.” Megaesophagus in dogs and cats is fairly common, but unfortunately, that doesn’t make it any easier to treat.

After much trial and error, our vet suggested letting Brodie eat meals at an upward angle, using a step on our staircase to support him. Desperate for Brodie to get some relief, we tried it. We figured, at the very least, it might be more comfortable for him.

After a few meals on the staircase, we noticed that Brodie was able to keep his food down. We were excited, and so was Brodie. We hadn’t seen him act like a playful pup in months. It seemed too good to be true.

Was it the upright position? Were our stairs magical? Was there a full moon?

To this day, we’re still not entirely sure why Brodie’s canine megaesophagus stopped acting up. Call it superstition, but we swore from then on that Brodie would eat his meals using the step method our vet suggested. That is, until we realized we couldn’t bring our stairs out with us. We needed something more sustainable.

And the idea was sparked. It started as a makeshift blend between an elevated dog bowl and a single step, and evolved into a fully functional, durable, and adjustable step-up pet bowl — the first of its kind.

Throughout the process of creating the Brodie Bowl, friends and family asked if their pets could try a Brodie Bowl, too. We realized that with or without a pet struggling with megaesophagus, pet owners wanted to give their pets a better, more comfortable way to eat.