Curbing Excessively Fast Eating Behavior

Q: How do I stop my dog from inhaling his food instead of chewing it?

A:  Some dogs pick at their food, where it takes the dog more than 30 minutes to eat or the dog never finishes his/her allotted meal.  However, other dogs display ravenous appetites, where they eat like metaphorical vacuums. 

Fast eating behavior is common with young puppies.  The behavior typically becomes less pronounced as dogs age.  In most circumstances, fast eating behavior is harmless.  Yet, fast eating behavior can increase the probability of your dog inhaling air along with food and liquid, which in turn may increase the probability of your dog developing the life-threatening condition of gastric dilatation volvulus, also known as stomach torsion or bloat. 

Bloat is most commonly observed amongst:

• Large, deep, narrow-chested breeds (e.g., Great Dane, Saint Bernard, Weimeraner, German Shepherd),

• Dogs that have a familial history of bloat,

• Dogs greater than 7 years of age, male dogs,

• Dogs fed only once per day,

• Dogs that are overfed,

• Dogs who consume large quantities of liquid along with their meals,

• Dogs that eat rapidly,

• Dogs that are exercised proximal to a meal, and

• Anxious dogs.  

Therefore, since rapid eating is a definitive risk factor in the probability of your dog developing this potentially lethal condition, we recommend implementing procedures that slow his/her eating behavior.

Fortunately, there are a number of simple methods to modify your dog’s eating behavior.  The solutions include:

1. Placing something inside your dog’s bowl so it takes your dog more time to grab food and so he/she grabs smaller quantities during each mouthful, 
   1. You can place a tennis ball or hard plastic ball in his bowl.
   2. If he/she removes the ball, you can place a large, heavy object, such as a large stone, inside his bowl.
   3. Alternatively, you can place a large ice cube inside his bowl.
2. Changing your dog’s bowl to either a flat or partitioned apparatus so that he/she is prevented from grabbing large quantities of food in any one mouthful and has to work harder to grab any one mouthful.
   1. You can feed your dog on a flat cookie sheet.
   2. You can purchase a partitioned bowl specifically designed to modify the behavior of fast eaters.
3. Changing your dog’s food so that he is forced to chew before swallowing.
   1. You can change your dog’s food to larger kibble that he/she needs to chew before swallowing.

By implementing any one or combination of the preceding solutions, you should achieve your objective of creating a healthier dog that has better table manners.

© Copyright Mark Spivak and Comprehensive Pet Therapy, Inc., January 2011, All rights reserved.