My pup Inhales his food

MartinCarson · 07-22-2007, 09:14 AM

My 3 month old pup inhales his food, at feeding time he acts like he hasn't been fed in years. I always make sure to make him sit and wait for me to put the bowl down but he finished super quick, and doesn't take the time to chew any of his kibble. And 75% of the time he ends up with the hiccups afterwards. I tried hand feeding him the kibble slowly but he didn't chew much, (just the ones he coughed back up

) I'm worried that this is not good for him and was wondering if there is anyone who has some ideas on how to make him slow down and chew the food.

RonE · 07-22-2007, 09:47 AM

If he's generally keeping the food down, I wouldn't worry that he doesn't appear to be chewing.

I've heard of people putting things in the dish, including large rocks, to force the dog to slow down and eat around them.

I'd be afraid my dogs would just inhale the rocks, too.

Some folks add some water to the food, but I fail to understand how that would make the dog slow down.

Dieselsmama · 07-22-2007, 09:53 AM

I've heard the large rock thing as well (obviously big enough that your dog couldn't fit it in his mouth) I've also seen feeding dishes with several "pegs" in them about an 1"-2" in diameter depending on the size dish, I guess the idea is for the dog to have to work harder to eat around the pegs thus slowing him down.

Is he being fed enough?, what kind of dog again? How much does he weigh? What is he eating for food?

MartinCarson · 07-22-2007, 10:09 AM

He is a shepherd/Lab mix 3 months old approx 20 lbs. and i'm feeding him Science diet puppy dry (i know, i know I didn't know about the evils of commercial dog food when i bought it, plan to switch to Timberwolf or Solid Gold when bag is done). He gets 3 cups a day what is recommended on the bag.

RonE · 07-22-2007, 10:21 AM

That seems like a lot of food for a 20-pound dog. Every dog is different, but Esther, very active and 75 pounds, eats 2 cups of Canidae each day to maintain her weight. It's likely you'll want to cut down on the volume when you switch to a better food, since there will be more efficiency and less fillers.

BTW, don't wait until the Science Diet is gone before gradually switching to a better food. You'll want to mix increasing proportions of the new with the old over a couple of weeks to avoid tummy upsets from a sudden change.

Shalva · 07-22-2007, 10:27 AM

what the water in the food does is makes sure that if the pup is eating fast that the food is expanded by the water BEFORE it gets into the stomach and expands there causing a food bloat..... even with my adult dogs when I am forced to use a kibble I add water to it... .dogs tend to eat fast anyway so they can easily eat to much and then when it expands in the stomach can create problems that is what the water is for... not to slow down eating just to prevent problems ....

as far as eating to fast....
first 3 cups does sound like to much food to me.... keep in mind that a young pup should be fed three times a day as their nutritional needs are greater than their stomach capacity.... so your pup should be getting a lunchtime snack....

also the bags of food want to sell food and you want your pup to grow slowly so I would give about 2 cups of food divided over 3 meals.... 3 cups is just to much.... if you add water to it, it will make it even more.... and it will be softer....

the large rock thing is a large rock... what it does it force the pup to find the food around the rock and it will slow them down.... not small rocks but rocks that your pup can't fit in his mouth.

good luck
S

Durbkat · 07-22-2007, 10:27 AM

That's how snoopy eats as well. He often gets the hiccups and sometimes vomits but he keeps most of it down and the vet said not to worry about it. He said as long as the dog eats and drinks then not to worry.

RonE · 07-22-2007, 10:38 AM

I would minimize the exercise for at least an hour after eating, as well, especially if yours is one of the barrel-chested breeds that seem prone to gastric torsion.

Curbside Prophet · 07-22-2007, 01:07 PM

If you're teaching take-it and leave-it with his food, there's little chance he can inhale all his food but a few kibble pieces at a time. If your dog is that food motivated, just think of all that you can teach him.

MartinCarson · 07-22-2007, 01:20 PM

He is so fixated on the food that he will ignore everything else. So that doesn't really work. I will try to use it more constructive ways I hadn't though of that.
Soaked his food this morning and it took him almost 7 minutes to finish it rather than the usual 1, so at least that is working.

briteday · 07-22-2007, 03:51 PM

You can soak his food. And I have also had success with a dog of mine by wetting one portion at a time (just a bit of water so that it will stick to a cookie sheet), then put the food spread evenly on a cookie sheet in the freezer. The dog will have to chew the frozen food off the cookie sheet to eat it or wait a bit for it to thaw. Really slows them down.

Also don't let it disturb you too much. A dog's digestion starts in the stomach, not by the action of enzymes in saliva as in humans. So not chewing the food is of no digestive consequence, except for the hiccups (caused by not breathing properly while he's eating, causes the diaphragm to spasm as the body is trying to get enough air in to breathe) or if he is vomiting after eating.

TearahBey77 · 07-22-2007, 06:12 PM

I free feed my dog and honestly, it is the best decision ever.
1. He does not inhale his food anymore
2. I have no worries of him becoming food aggressive bc he knows food is always there.
3. I dont have to be home at certain times or schedule my day around feedings.
4. I dont have to worry about over feeding or under feeding my pup, he eats when he is hungry.

Theodore is now almost 5months old, now at first I was controling about his food intake, measuring each portion 4 times a day ect ect.
Theo always inhaled his food and he was still skinny... So I started free feeding, our bodys lets us know when to stop eating, we being humans choose to ignore that feeling but if your dog knows his bowl will always be full, he will not have a reason to overeat.
I mean think about eating 2 meals a day, have some one serve you breakfast at 7am but getting hungry at 1pm and being fed till 6pm. wouldnt that stink? I'd inhale my food too!
Now I was worried at first when I started to free feed Theo, like he would literally eat the whole bad of food. So I started with a portion more (dbl) then what I was feeding (2cX2=4cups) and let him have at it. I'd say he ate about 3cups and then he lied down, slowed his eating and just nibbled on the rest. After he walked away, i filled the bowl up and from then on, he just niblled on through out the days! It works for me. I have measured how much I put in his bowl in the morning, it usually ends up being about 6-8cups of food that he is eating a day. So theres my two cents, lol!

RonE · 07-22-2007, 06:16 PM

Theo is eating 6-8 cups/day at 5 months??

May I ask what kind of dog he is and what he weighs? And what kind of food are you feeding him?

Inga · 07-22-2007, 06:57 PM

Free feeding is much harder to do if you have more then one animal in the house, or in the case of a chronic over eater. some dogs do OK doing that and others become obese. It just depends on the dog. 6-8 cups of food a day seems like an awful lot of food for 1 dog. I have very large dogs, and they don't eat more then 4 cups split to 3 meals a day.

TearahBey77 · 07-22-2007, 07:42 PM

Oh, sorry lol, Theo is A St. Boxer (St. Bernard X Boxer). He is a beast lol. He is only 4 1/2 months old and he weighs 52lbs. I feed him Solid Gold (Wolf Adult). He is by no means over weight, so he burns all that kibble off through out the day!

briteday · 07-22-2007, 09:56 PM

Holy cow! I'm glad I don't have your food bill!

Dieselsmama · 07-23-2007, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TearahBey77

Oh, sorry lol, Theo is A St. Boxer (St. Bernard X Boxer). He is a beast lol. He is only 4 1/2 months old and he weighs 52lbs. I feed him Solid Gold (Wolf Adult). He is by no means over weight, so he burns all that kibble off through out the day!

Theo is a giant breed mix which is already a strike against him in the joint department. Don't misunderstand I love most of the giant breeds, just stating fact. At 4 1/2 months, were you feeding too much, he wouldn't be overweight, he'd just be growing at a faster rate than was healthy for his joints. When he reaches maturity and stops growing is when you'll begin to see a weight gain. Were he my dog I think I'd call an ortho specialist and give them his current weight, current age, current food and ask them for a feeding recommendation. They might want to see him but I'd consider this money well invested now rather than in surgeries and discomfort for my dog down the road. Sometimes free feeding works for some dogs. I did have an older dog that did fine with it, but it's definetly not an avenue i'd pursue with a growing puppy. I want to know exactly how much my girl has eaten and when. I hope some of this is helpful info. for you and do please keep us updated.

TearahBey77 · 07-23-2007, 10:43 AM

Hmm, I didnt think about it that way but I thought that is why I chose a lower protien food, to control his growth.
It just seems like before when I would feed him like 3 cups of food per day(1cup at 3 meals) (Like a month or so ago) he was so skinny...He has finally filled out.

Dieselsmama · 07-23-2007, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TearahBey77

Hmm, I didnt think about it that way but I thought that is why I chose a lower protien food, to control his growth.
It just seems like before when I would feed him like 3 cups of food per day(1cup at 3 meals) (Like a month or so ago) he was so skinny...He has finally filled out.

The lower protein food is definetly a good choice, remember he's growing as fast as he can at this point so he will go through stages of skinny, chunky, skinny again. Maybe your vet can give you an idea of an approximate adult weight for him and then recommend an appropriat amt. of food for him.

TomN · 07-23-2007, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MartinCarson

My 3 month old pup inhales his food, at feeding time he acts like he hasn't been fed in years. I always make sure to make him sit and wait for me to put the bowl down but he finished super quick, and doesn't take the time to chew any of his kibble. And 75% of the time he ends up with the hiccups afterwards. I tried hand feeding him the kibble slowly but he didn't chew much, (just the ones he coughed back up

) I'm worried that this is not good for him and was wondering if there is anyone who has some ideas on how to make him slow down and chew the food.

Martin, I can certainly relate to dogs wolfing down their food. My GSP pup was the same way, gobbled it so fast that he darn near choked. I found a unique bowl designed for this exact problem. It's called the "Brake-Fast" bowl. It certainly has worked for me as advertised, as the dog has to eat around 3 posts that are built right into the inside portion of the bowl. Now he takes quite a bit longer to eat his daily ration.

http://www.brake-fast.net/