A solution to wolfing food down!

puppylove44 · 08-16-2007, 01:28 PM

My lab used to VACUUM his food down in less than 30 seconds. And im talking two LARGE cups of hard dog food. I heard that this can cause Gastric Dialation-Voluvus (bloat) which can cause the dogs stomache to turn if they eat too fast. The surgery to correct the problem is very expensive and can be dangerous. Ultimatley i began to worry about my dogs eating habits and giving him food more slowly didnt work. When i found my dog regurgitating his food back up immediatley following a meal i got desperate. I knew it coudlnt be good for him. Im not sure if you all have heard of this product yet and I dont mean to "Sell" it on here- but the "brake fast" bowl works... I went online and googled "dog eats too fast", LOL and found the Break-Fast bowl- for $14.99... It has slowed the eating down SO much, and now it takes him about 5 min to eat versus 30 seconds. It does frusterate him, but all in all its better for him...just thought i'd share in case anyone else has this problem...heres the website(it ships very quickly too, a few days!)

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

lovemygreys · 08-16-2007, 02:54 PM

Other solutions: BIG heavy stones in the bowl that they have to eat around...or a brick...or kongs. Or spread the kibble on a cookie sheet. Or a bundt pan. Or a cupcake pan (works with upside down or spread the kibble out among the cupcake holes).

borzoimom · 08-16-2007, 02:58 PM

The Break fast bowl is great for kibble owners. I feed raw so it doesnt swell in the gut...

puppylove44 · 08-16-2007, 02:59 PM

Yes, those are other great solutions, especially for dogs that have a flat nose/mouth that the 'brake-fast' bowl wont work on. (my boxer cant get his face in the Brake-Fast bowl, lol )....

LeRoymydog · 08-16-2007, 03:07 PM

I've looked into that bowl and haven't found anyone who has used it. Maybe I'll look into it again.

Although LeRoy has to have an elevated bowl now.

Ginny01OT · 08-16-2007, 03:25 PM

also, make sure your dog is eating twice a day and wait a little while before giving him water after he has eaten his kibble--also limit his exercise after eating and even a little before a meal.

Shell&Jas · 08-16-2007, 07:39 PM

I find that elevating the bowl off the ground also helps. But that bowl is definitely a great idea. Pity i can't get it here in Australia otherwise I'd give it a go.

poodleholic · 08-17-2007, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shell&Jas

I find that elevating the bowl off the ground also helps. But that bowl is definitely a great idea. Pity i can't get it here in Australia otherwise I'd give it a go.

Raised bowls are not a good idea. In the Purdue study on bloat, it was a probably contributing factor for bloat.

onyxdaily · 08-17-2007, 01:43 PM

I think that bowl looks like a good idea, I just don't think Jasper (my saint bernard) could get his face in there. I think I could probably accomplish the same thing by putting one of his toys in his bowl, or big stones like lovemygreys posted.

puppylove44 · 08-17-2007, 03:29 PM

Onyxdaily,
Yeah the Break-fast bowl works great for my Lab, but the Boxer cant get his mouth in there cuz his nose and mouth are so flat, lol. Its entertaining to watch him try and steal his brothers food when no one is watching(sneaky lil' bugger)...LOL.

Its great for dogs with a more pointed snout....Also, putting toys or large rocks in their dish so they have to eat around them works great as long as they dont learn to remove their toys and rocks to eat...LOL, my lab figured that one out pretty quickly.

Ginny01OT · 08-17-2007, 03:40 PM

Do you have to worry about your dog's tooth accidentally chipping if you put a large rock in the bowl?

EXBCMC · 08-19-2007, 11:16 PM

that bowl looks like a great idea. our lab eats in 45 seconds. now, on the other hand, the shepherd actually eats a kibble at a time. she'll take a few and walk away, lay on the lawn and chew it. then, the labs steal food while she isn't looking.

sydney-the-cattle-dog · 08-21-2007, 04:31 PM

Stormy used to carry a moutful of kibble over to the carpet, spit it out, and then eat one piece at a time; that was until Sydney came home. Stormy would still carry his dinner to the carpet in mouthfulls but upon spitting it out Sydney would wolf it down for him. Stormy eventually opted for eating out of the bowl.

My puppy would inhale her food too (must be the Lab half

) until I started adding a small amount of plain yogurt. Now she takes the time to lick the bowl in between bites.

DogsforMe · 08-22-2007, 02:37 AM

You can try throwing the dry food all over the back yard. They have to search out each little piece. Or else theres the Buster Cube.

LeRoymydog · 08-22-2007, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poodleholic

Raised bowls are not a good idea. In the Purdue study on bloat, it was a probably contributing factor for bloat.

Really??? I've never heard of that before.