Expert: Kaza - 2/12/2010

Question
I have a 7 year old male that quickly scarfs down his food at meal time. More and more recently he has begun to vomit up his meal within minutes(sometimes hours). The vomit is mainly whole pieces of unchewed kibble and anything else he was given(like raw carrot pieces). Even if I give it to him little by little he still tends not to fully chew. He always finishes his meals VERY quickly, not like our 7 year old female miniature poodle who eats each piece of kibble individually and chews it carefully. Have thought the males eating habit is from puppyhood when he had to vie for food with the rest of the litter. But no matter what the origins are how can I correct this behavior and have him break down his food so he doesn't vomit it back up? Do I have to crush up the kibble pieces before feeding it to him. Please give me your best advice in this matter. It is really heartbreaking to see him vomit so much. Thank you in advance for your help.

Answer
This is normal for dogs who were deprived by the breeder. You will need to buy a bowl that is made to stop dogs wolfing down food. Most pet stores stock them, if you cannot afford to purchase one then it is easy to make one at home, place an upside down egg cup into the bowl and then fill the food around the egg cup, the dog has to take slowly due to obstruction. Also feed in smaller amounts through the day .