[Dogs1024]

I have a problem with the 1 year old puppy I got from the SPCA. It started when my sister returned her dog to us because she could no longer care for her. The puppy started to eat her food in like 30 seconds. 90% of the time she would vomit up in less than an hour.

I've tried separating the two and they eat in separate rooms. The puppy still has the problem of vomiting and is loosing weight because she can't keep her food down. The vet says there is nothing medically wrong with her(GI tract infections and what not).

How do I get he puppy to slow down with eating? My sister's dog is 13 y/o and doesn't really try to eat her food fast. So she doesn't have that problem. She has the problem of eating grass when I'm not watching her and she'll vomit 1-4 hours after eating grass. That is something I can sorta control as long as I keep a eye on her.

The puppy is the issue. Do I have to start taking her to the vet to get food through a IV??? I don't want get fined for animal abuse but the dog is being really stupid about eating its food in less than a minute.

I've even tried to feed her a whole meal in small pieces. She will swallow the dog food whole. So I really don't know what to do. Please help. I've never had this problem with the older dog when she was younger.

I've also notice that if I don't get away from the puppy's bowl fast enough after I give the food she'll bite me. I've had to get stitches already from her attacking me. What is the deal with this dog????

Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks.

 

[Cracker]

This is most likely resource guarding behaviour, triggered by adding the other dog to the household. Your younger dog is suddenly anxious the other dog will eat her food and so gorges herself. Two things:
Start feeding the younger dog small amounts more frequently to help her digest the food, you can also put a big rock or something in her dish to slow down the eating. Make sure she eats UNDISTURBED for the time being, do some research on resource guarding (a great book available at dogwise.com is "MINE" by Jean Donaldson) and if you can afford it find yourself a certifiied behaviourist to set up a program that is safe for all involved to help deal with the dog's resource issue. IF it is resource guarding it will not go away on it's own.

 

[Dogs1024]

Thanks. I'll read up on it. The other thing that I've noticed is that she'll shake like she is shivering or something when I'm prepping her food.

As for being undisturbed... She is a separate room with the door closed. I don't know how much more secluded she can be unless I feed her in the backyard while the other one eats inside the house. Should I start doing that instead? Even still, I have to deal with the biting issue as soon as the bowl is put down for her eat from it. She's bitten my forearm pretty good a few times and I've had to get stitches once already.

This morning I did try something different which was tie her up first then put her bowl in her feeding room. Afterward, undo her leash and she makes a rush to her bowl. She growled and tried to bite me when I closed the door on her but she didn't get me this time.

Hopefully I can get this resolved soon. She is a good dog when its not feeding time. Hopefully she will start putting some weight back on. The vet told me she is suppose to be around 50lbs but last weighed at 44lbs. I think 6lbs is a big difference for the dog's bmi.

 

[Cracker]

Yes, resource guarding can involve bites. Which is WHY it is so important to figure out a way to manage this so you don't get bitten. Can you put the dog behind a gate or something while you prepare the food and then have her sit nicely before allowing her in to the bowl that you have put down on the floor?

YOu can also do a search of the forums here to find other threads on resource guarding, to get you started.

 

[spotted nikes]

Try putting the kibble on a flat metal baking sheet. It's slippery and slows them down. Feed 3 times a day in small amounts. Add a tablespoon of plain yogurt to the food to help digestion.

Consider changing foods. What are you feeding now?

 

[Dogs1024]

I am feeding her Nutro Adult dog food. The SPCA was giving her Science Diet. She can hold her food since I started doing what a friend recommended. She suggested that I add enough water in there so she'll have to take her time to eat it. Plus it'll get soggy so I think its easier for the puppy to digest it.

I'll start adding yogurt on the side to help her digest the food also.

 

[ioreks_mom]

What would happen if you fed her one kibble at a time in a seperate room? You can ask her to sit before you roll a kibble across the floor to her. This may help until you can either get a behaviourist or the book Mine! But, this is just a suggestion and if you think that she won't be able to sit with you in the room without trying to bite then you should not try it.

I second the recommendation for that book. My puppy was also resource guarding for a little while and that book is great. It is written for trainers so some of the lanuage is a little strange but it is a great book.

 

[Dogs1024]

I've been putting her in a separate room with the door closed to have "privacy". I can still hear her through the door wolfing the food down even though its in water. I just make sure its soaks in long enough so that its like soggy cereal.

I'm just guessing the since its "soft" it should be easier for her to digest it.

 

[ruckusluvr]

eating food so fast will make any dog vomit.
they have bowls called Break Fast Bowls that make it where they have to slow down and eat.

Link here
http://www.superhappypets.com/img/brake_fast_dog_bowl_blue.jpg