5 Reasons Veterinarians Recommend Frozen Lick Mats and Refillable Chews for Anxiety

If you have ever watched your dog pace nervously during a thunderstorm, or seen the panic in their eyes as you pick up your car keys, you know that pet anxiety is heartbreaking. It is also incredibly common.

According to recent veterinary studies, over 70% of dogs display some form of anxiety, ranging from noise phobias to severe separation distress. For years, the solution was often medication or strict obedience training. However, in the last decade, a shift has occurred in veterinary behavioral medicine.

Vets and animal behaviorists are now “prescribing” something much simpler, safer, and drug-free: Enrichment.

Specifically, they are recommending refillable frozen chew toys (like the Freezbone). These aren’t just toys; they are therapeutic tools that leverage a dog’s natural biology to lower stress hormones.

Here are the 5 scientific reasons why veterinarians recommend freezing your pet’s treats to combat anxiety.

1. The Physiology of Licking: Nature’s “Calm Down” Button

The primary reason vets recommend tools like the Freezpaw is purely physiological. To a human, licking looks like a simple way to eat food. To a dog (or cat), licking is a complex self-soothing mechanism.

When a dog engages in repetitive licking, their brain releases a cascade of endorphins and dopamine. These are neurotransmitters associated with pleasure, relaxation, and bonding. In veterinary circles, this is often referred to as “the self-soothing loop.”

Think of it as the canine equivalent of a human doing deep breathing exercises or meditation during a stressful moment.

By spreading a soft treat—like yogurt, pumpkin, or peanut butter—onto a Freezpaw mat and freezing it, you encourage this repetitive action. Because the food is frozen into the grooves of the rubber, the dog cannot simply gulp it down. They are forced to lick rhythmically for 20 to 30 minutes. This sustained release of endorphins can actively lower their heart rate and bring a panicked dog back to a baseline of calm.

2. Mental Stimulation Tires the Anxious Brain

A common saying among dog trainers is, “A tired dog is a good dog.” However, physical exercise isn’t the only way to tire a pet out. In fact, for an anxious dog, high-intensity fetch can sometimes increase arousal levels rather than lower them.

Mental stimulation, on the other hand, is exhausting in a good way.

When you pack a Freezbone with wet food and freeze it solid, you are presenting your dog with a puzzle. They can smell the food, but they cannot access it immediately. They must use their problem-solving skills, working their tongue and jaw at different angles to warm the filling and extract it.

Veterinary behaviorists estimate that 20 minutes of intense mental enrichment (like working on a frozen Kong or Freezbone) is equivalent to an hour of physical walking in terms of energy expenditure.

Anxiety requires energy. By channeling that nervous energy into a focused task, you deplete the dog’s “battery.” When they finally finish their Freezbone, they are often too mentally fatigued to pace, whine, or worry. They simply want to sleep.

3. Counter-Conditioning: Changing the Emotional Trigger

One of the most difficult aspects of separation anxiety is the “trigger.” Your dog learns that you putting on your shoes or picking up your keys predicts something terrible: being left alone.

Vets use frozen enrichment tools to perform Counter-Conditioning. This is the process of changing a dog’s emotional response to a trigger from “scary” to “happy.”

Here is how it works using a Freezbone:

• You prepare a high-value frozen treat (something delicious like wet food mixed with cream cheese).

• You give this special treat to your dog only when you are leaving the house.

• Over time, your dog’s brain starts to make a new association: “When the human leaves, I get the amazing frozen thing.”

Because the treat is frozen, it lasts for 45 minutes or more. This bridges the critical gap—the first 20 minutes after you leave—which is when anxiety usually spikes. By the time they finish the treat, the transition period is over, and they are relaxed.

4. Redirecting Destructive Behaviors

Anxiety often manifests as destruction. When a dog is stressed, their cortisol levels spike, and they feel a physical need to release that tension. For many dogs, the outlet is chewing. This is why anxious dogs often destroy door frames, baseboards, or furniture.

You cannot simply tell an anxious dog to “stop” feeling anxious. You must provide a legal outlet for that chewing instinct.

The Freezbone is designed with durability in mind to serve as this outlet. It acts as a “pacifier” for power chewers. The act of gnawing on the durable rubber helps satisfy the urge to destroy, but safely and constructively.

Unlike a bone or a stick, which can splinter and cause internal damage (leading to expensive vet bills), a rubber refillable chew is gentle on the teeth while being tough enough to withstand the pressure of an anxious jaw. It redirects the energy away from your home and onto an object that is meant to be chewed.

5. Digestive Health and Bloat Prevention

While anxiety is a mental health issue, it often has physical side effects. Anxious dogs frequently “stress eat” or gulp their food so quickly that they swallow air. This can lead to vomiting, choking, or in severe cases, Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV), commonly known as “bloat”—a life-threatening condition.

Veterinarians love frozen feeders because they force the dog to slow down.

By turning a 30-second meal into a 40-minute event using a Freezbone or Freezpaw, you ensure that your dog is eating at a safe, healthy pace. This aids in digestion and prevents the dangerous gulping associated with stress-eating.

Furthermore, because frozen treats take so long to consume, you can make a small amount of food last a long time. This is crucial for maintaining a healthy weight, as you don’t need to overfeed your dog just to keep them occupied.

The Verdict: A Medical Tool in a Toy’s Disguise

It is easy to look at a colourful rubber bone or a lick mat and see just another pet accessory. But to a veterinarian, these are essential tools for behavioral health.

They offer a drug-free, natural way to manipulate your pet’s neurochemistry, turning moments of high stress into moments of calm focus. Whether you have a puppy crying in a crate, a rescue dog afraid of loud noises, or a cat that hates grooming, the solution is often cold, simple, and effective.

Don’t wait for the anxiety to start. Stock your freezer today.