RiverStar-Aura Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Zeus gulps his food and I've tried all sorts of things to try and get him to chew but nothing works. Most of the dry food brands seem to have these really, really tiny kibble bits, which don't seem to promote chewing and when I tried giving him some Science Diet Oral food (it's to help clean teeth apparently) as a one off treat (after doing training) he swallowed those whole too! I'm sure that if he chewed his food he'd be less fart-y but even when I add things like tuna or sardines he still tends to swallow whole. Is he still getting enough nutrients and things by gulping his food because I'm just worried that he's not properly digesting because he doesn't chew. He does get bones to gnaw on and the occasional Pedigree Denta Stix, which he LOVES, but he's generally on a dry food diet of Royal Canin for Medium Dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dxenion Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 There are a number of dog bowls like this on the market that have a raised cross in the middle of the bowl. The idea is that it slows the dog down as it has to eat around the obstacle. If you don't wish to buy a new bowl, you could try getting the same effect by putting an obstacle in his bowl eg a number of metal egg rings or some dessert spoons. We used the egg ring idea for the first couple of days after our pup came home because he was hoovering his food up so fast we were worried it was going to shoot out the other end! For an off the wall idea, try putting all the ingredients from one meal into a container and pour a cold broth (eg beef, chicken etc) over the top, just enough to cover the ingredients. Place it in the freezer and serve the next day as a dogsicle. Zeus will be forced to slow down as chews his way through his frozen dinner. Over time, you just add less broth until the frozen broth is only just holding the solids together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Dogs are designed to swallow their food in chunks. Farting is much more likely to be a result of some sort of issue with an ingredient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Shepherd mom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 For an off the wall idea, try putting all the ingredients from one meal into a container and pour a cold broth (eg beef, chicken etc) over the top, just enough to cover the ingredients. Place it in the freezer and serve the next day as a dogsicle. Zeus will be forced to slow down as chews his way through his frozen dinner. Over time, you just add less broth until the frozen broth is only just holding the solids together. This is a great idea. Might have to try it with Bella sometime! I tried putting a rock in her bowl but that didn't slow her down at all. Now I put carrots, broken in half, in with her food. When she gets to a carrot she has to chew them so at least she catches her breath! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverStar-Aura Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 If you don't wish to buy a new bowl, you could try getting the same effect by putting an obstacle in his bowl eg a number of metal egg rings or some dessert spoons. We used the egg ring idea for the first couple of days after our pup came home because he was hoovering his food up so fast we were worried it was going to shoot out the other end! I tried out the egg ring idea tonight at dinner time and OMG! Zeus actually tasted his food for probably the first time in his life. I got my dad to help me cut slits in 2 egg rings and joined them together so they interlock creating three little wells for the food to sit in and it took Zeus about 2 minutes to eat his dinner rather than the 2 or so seconds. Had to put the rings inside one he'd finished though because knowing him, he'd run them around the backyard thinking they're a great new toy! Thanks for the fantastic idea Dxenion!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedazzledx2 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 This is what Zac gets his puppy biscuits for breakfast in .... brilliant! Gives me about 10 to 15 minutes peace http://www.ozpetshop.com.au/product_info.p...roducts_id/1831 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 (edited) Dogs don't 'chew' food. They are not designed for it. Compare their mouth and jaw to ours. Notice how the jaw and teeth can go up and down but not side to side. They don't have teeth that grind like we do, only ones that rip, tear and crush in a vicelike action. When it comes to eating commerical dog foods, there is nothing to rip, tear or crush!!! The pieces are already smaller than the chunks they would naturally swallow (the largest percentage of a dogs digestion happens in the stomach - they dont need to chew their food to start the digestion process like we do). As a result, the most effective way for dogs to eat it is so pick it up, flip it to the back of their mouth and swallow. If you want a dog to eat slower (though it wont mean they 'chew' it more), there are a number of options including the following: *spread the food on the ground so they have to hunt for it *place an object like a large rock in the bowl so they need to eat around it *provide food in a more appropriate size and shape - i.e. large chunks - that need to be ripped, torn and crushed. Edited April 2, 2011 by espinay2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverStar-Aura Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Thanks for your explanation Espinay2; it has me realising that I've worded my original post wrong. I was after solutions on how to make Zeus eat slower although I was concerned that he swallowed some rather large kibble bits whole (I've since given them to my friend to use as rat treats and they love them!). Does anyone know if dogs' metabolisms work like a human's? You know how if a human scoffs their food their body doesn't have time to register that it's full? I'm just curious about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 (edited) While of course there is variation in personal preferences amoung individuals, dogs as a species are designed to work on a system of gorge and fast. Basically when food is available, they eat it and often they eat it fast due to an inbuilt system of making sure they get as much as they can while they can before someone else does. Here is an article which explains a bit more about the anatomy of a carnivore and how it differs from humans. Edited April 3, 2011 by espinay2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Human saliva contains a pre-digestive enzyme that helps food break down in the gut. Try biting into something, leave it for a few hours and you will see where you've bitten, it's started to break down and gone soft or slimy. That is why we need to chew our food, and our anatomy is designed for this. Dogs saliva doesn't contain that enzyme and they aren't meant to chew food. Their whole digestive system is different from ours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoldenGirl85 Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Hmmm, learn something new every day lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 I thought large breed deep chested dogs were at risk of bloat and GDV if they gulp their food too quickly, especially if you're only giving one large meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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