Some dogs are natural gobblers – put their food down and a mere 10 seconds later it’s disappeared. If your furry friend enjoys top-quality dog meals, this may apply to them. Much like overeating, eating too fast can have potentially serious effects on their health. Swallowing too much air as they wolf down their food can lead to Gastric Dilation, or bloat, which can make your doggo more likely to suffer from nasty conditions like a twisted stomach which can be potentially fatal. However, you can stop your dog eating too fast!
To keep your doggo fighting fit, it’s time to teach them some doggy manners and slow down their munching and crunching.
Stop your dog eating too fast by creating an obstacle
The first step is to make the food harder to gobble. Place a soup can, tennis ball, or large rock in the middle of the bowl. Make sure that whatever you use is too large for your breed to swallow. Eating around the obstacle will mean Fido has to work harder to get to the food and therefore will slow down the eating process.
Muffin tin
Try spreading your doggo’s food in a muffin tin. By doing so, they still get their full portion but it’ll be broken down into smaller portions. The need to move from cup to cup will slow down the gulping too! For the serial gulper, you can also try turning the muffin tin upside down and spreading his or her food across the cup mounds!
Slow Feeding Dish
If you’re happy to, buying a slow feeding dish can work really well to slow down your pooch. They work on the same principle as putting a ball or can in the middle of the bowl – your dog is forced to eat around the obstacles and therefore slows down.
Stop your dog eating too fast by ditching the bowl
You could also consider getting rid of the food bowl all together. To this end, try an alternative feeder which spreads your dog’s food across 43 “blades of grass”. This will pace your furry friend as they find all of their food.
Now that your pup is eating more slowly, make sure they’re eating well by signing up to Mad Paws Chef!
