Ask the Veterinarian/Eating too fast

Advertisement

Expert: - 1/19/2010


Question
My boyfriend has a 7 1/2 year old male cocker spaniel that wolfs down his food. He was abused as a puppy and I wonder if food was with held when he was younger and that is the reason he eats so fast and is always hungry. How can I get him to slow down eat and not to be hungry all the time. I only feed him in the morning at night.

Answer
Your last sentence makes no sense to me. I guess you feed him both morning and night?
Some dogs are just that way when it comes to eating. Litter competition is usually the cause of this, not abuse.

The best thing you can do it elevate his food bowls. There are stands you can buy that have long legs and these are the best way to do that. This slows them down and then his food will have some time to digest.

Another thing that contributes to this issue is what he is eating. High quality foods are going to meet his energy needs and thus he needs to eat less. Low quality foods will not do this and he will need to eat more and more to try and meet those needs.
It's like trying to get a ounce of steak protein from a box of saltine crackers.

We recommend Science Diet just for this reason. It is highly digestible, meets your dogs energy needs with much less food because of the optimal nutrition it is formulated for.

You should try the three bag challenge and see what it does for this dog. Unlike most pet foods, Hill's has a 100% money back guarantee on their food. If your dog won't eat it or you don't see a difference after the bag is gone, they will give you your money back.

You can take the three bag challenge here->http://www.feedingisbelieving.com/believe/3BagChallengeForm.jsp  

Ask the Veterinarian

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.