Product Review: PetSafe Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom Dog Toy

Updated: Apr 1, 2021

If your dog has a lot of energy, keeping her occupied is a tough job. There are a lot of puzzle toys and interactive feeders all over the place these days, but as the market grows for these items, they have become increasingly more complicated and can sometimes be as time consuming for you as they are for your dog. Enter the PetSafe Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom Dog Toy.

Quick Look

4 Stars, 1310 ratings on Amazon

Notable features: 2 sizes, dishwasher safe, stands up to tough chewers

Pricing: $16.23 at the time of this post

Size: Small: Height - 4.3/4" Base Width - 3.5" Top Width - 4"; Medium/Large: Height - 6.3/4" Base Width - 5" Top Width - 6"

Pros:

Can hold a whole meal and has 4 levels of difficulty
Easy to set up and can go in the dishwasher
Dogs can pick it up an move it instead of just rolling it
Big enough and rolls erratically so it will not get under furniture easily

Cons:

It can be loud if you have hard floors and your dog likes to drop it and throw it
You should be available to take it away when your dog is finished if he is a relentless chewer

Who it’s best for

Dog’s who like their food enough to work for it. Large or small dogs. Dog’s who are not obsessive chewers. People need something fast and easy to set up and clean.

What is the PetSafe Busy Buddy Magic Mushroom

The PetSafe Busy Magic Mushroom is a food dispensing toy designed to keep your dog busy as well as slow her down when she eats. While you can use it with dog treats it is best for dogs that are fast eaters and who need help regulating how quickly they ingest their food. If your dog does not care that much for her food, this toy might not work well for you.

How does it work?

The Magic Mushroom works by using a small valve to regulate how much food can be dispensed with each movement at a time. Unlike puzzle toys or more complicated food toys, the Magic Mushroom unscrews to allow you to easily put your dog’s entire meal into the large compartment. No placing treats into grooves one at a time or trying to get it all in through a small hole. Just unscrew, dump it in, set the valve for your desired level of difficulty and screw it back together. Now it is Pup’s turn. He can toss it, drop it, or just roll it around to get the treats out.

Key Features

Randomly dispenses kibble as the toy is tipped, flipped and rolled to encourage dogs to work for their food
Adjustable windows work with a variety of food options and 4 levels of difficulty
Prevents gulping and helps support weight management efforts
Can hold up to 3 cups of kibble
Dishwasher safe, top rack only

Is this product right for you?

This is a great product to keep your dog busy for a while or to keep her from gulping down her food too fast. It is quick and easy to set up, holds an entire meal, has a valve to adjust difficulty and can go in the dishwasher. Like most hard plastic toys, you do not want to leave your dog alone with this. A good Kong is better if you will not be there to take it away soon after Pup finishes all the kibble as a few dogs will try to chew the item when it stops paying out. This toy can be a bit loud if your dog decides that tossing and dropping on a hard floor is the best method. No one reported any damage to floors, but it can be loud because it is hard plastic. One thing I really like is that it rolls erratically due to the shape, and the umbrella shaped portion allows the dog to pick it up and move it to a better location. This keeps it from getting lost under furniture or rolling into areas where they dog cannot get it.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a toy that is easy to set up and get your dog busy, this is a good bet. It is perfect if you want to use it for every meal instead of a food bowl. If your dog likes to really toss their toys in the air, this is probably not a great choice. Instead, you will want to stick to something soft like Starmark Treat Dispensing Tetraflex Dog Toy.

Get it on Amazon.