Help Needed! Any ideas to slow down their eating, besides the special bowls?

[Gingersmom]

Ginger, like so many other bulldogs, eats like she's never ate before! Even though she eats plenty every day! I'm worried about her having issues with bloat. She has also choked on her food twice now from gobbling down like crazy! She threw up one evening, and her dinner was not chewed at all what so ever!

So we went out and bought on of those special bowls, with the big nobs inside of it to slow her down. If anything it just caused her to be more anxious about getting the food out. So she was still trying to power eat it, and she still choked on it! Ugh! I can try giving her little bits at a time maybe? I'm sure that won't help her not chewing it though, and I'm sure she'll gobble whatever I put in the bowl anyway. At a loss for what to try next. I'm glad she loves her food, but geesh!

 

[MamaAndi]

I've seen feeder toys before that you put the food inside of and they have to work to get all the food out (most have to be rolled to get the food to come out)

 

[Lucy-licious]

Ugh! If the slow feeder isn't working I dunno what to suggest. Someone else might have a good idea though.

 

[BruceP]

I have also heard of putting a special ball in the bowl with the food.

 

[LoveMyBully82]

I have also heard of putting a special ball in the bowl with the food.

Yes, it is called a pacer ball. I bought one on Amazon and it has really slowed Jackson down. Now instead of inhaling his food in 45 seconds, it takes him about 2 minutes. He did not like the ball at first, but eventually he realized that it wasn't going away. Before the pacer ball we used a tennis ball, but it got real stinky and slobbery. Our pacer ball is stainless steal and we wash after each meal. Jackson still throws up from time to time when he eats too fast, but it happens a lot less than before.

Another idea would be to soak his food a little to make it soft so its easier to digest and/or mix it with some warm canned food.

 

[RiiSi]

You can also just give her the food or put just a little in the bowl at once. Hide it so she has to find it or feed her while training her.

 

[bubbaisapig]

Yep. Bubba has a slow feed bowl like that but only works a little. He went from about 1 min to 1:45. Inhales it too, without chewing! Thankfully, he doesn't throw up. I wait a good hour before I take him out for exercise

 

[Vince00]

We use a large kong red ball in the dish to slow him down. He use to gag when he was young so we always dampen the food slightly still by habit.

The ball works great and he leaves it there always, it's like it's part of the dish lol.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

I got a ball from amazon too...porcelain ..goes thru dishwasher and really helps. We left it in the mountains last weekend so I've been just dividing his food up and giving it to him in thirds. Helps..but he still eats that third too fast.

 

[RaRett]

To slow up Hershey, I put his food in a 12 part Muffin Tin - he has to work for his food, and it slows him down, especially since he cant get his face into the little tins you can also put the food out on a cookie sheet (with edges, or you'll have food all over the floor)

 

[Vince00]

I got a ball from amazon too...porcelain ..goes thru dishwasher and really helps. We left it in the mountains last weekend so I've been just dividing his food up and giving it to him in thirds. Helps..but he still eats that third too fast.

Kain is my dishwasher lol, he doesn't stop until everything is licked cleaner then we bought it!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[mendomama]

The vet told me most dogs do not chew their food, so I don't worry about that to much any more. I like the muffin tin idea. Uni slowed down abit as she got older but when we got the new puppy she got way worse again.

 

[Vicaroo1000]

To slow up Hershey, I put his food in a 12 part Muffin Tin - he has to work for his food, and it slows him down, especially since he cant get his face into the little tins you can also put the food out on a cookie sheet (with edges, or you'll have food all over the floor)

Great idea!

Bo is still a gulper --- but "soupy" food (hot water + Wellness Canned Food + Kibble) has helped him have to "work" to get the food into his gullet. He choked once as a puppy. Scared the crap out of me.

I have one of those Kong Wobblers. I tried that route when he was a pup. He would just sit back, let Bea do all the work to get the kibbles out, and follow her and the toy around eating as fast as possible. ha ha ha

 

[Texkota]

I was thinking some kind of ball should work.

 

[Lauren31287]

We got one of the balls for Winston too! As others had mentioned he didn't like it at first, in fact he refused to eat lol! It took him a few hours but he got used to it. It slowed him down soo much, before we used to ball we would put water in his food and make it soupy. That worked too but made a mess!! The ball was much cleaner! Good luck, its very scary when that happens!!