Leave the Gobbling to the Turkeys

Mom says the sound of a dog vomiting gets a human out of bed faster than any other sound.   One night last week Mom and Dad didn’t get any sleep at all.  I didn’t know my tummy was so full until I was sick four times.

Since I had just had my annual physical and I didn’t have any other signs of being sick, Mom though it was because I had been eating my food too fast. 

She checked with my Vet and sure enough, eating too fast can make air go into your tummy and cause all kinds of problems.

Eating too fast can also make it easier to choke on a piece of kibble or cause bloating which can make you died!

We had to find a way to make it so I didn’t eat so fast.  How could I not eat fast when I am starving all the time.  I suggested extra cookies between meals but Mom wasn't buying it.

Mom looked for other ways.  The best way was to make it harder for me to get so much food in one bite.  She started by putting a toy ball in my bowl.   It was annoying because I had to move it around and couldn’t eat fast.  Dad also forgot to put it in the bowl when he fed me so we needed something else.

If you use the ball in the bowl trick, you want to make sure the ball is big enough so you can’t swallow it!

Some peoples use muffin tins.  They put a little food in each part so you’d have to stop when you went from one little part to the next.

They also make all kinds of “slow feeder” bowls.  Mom bought one kind but the design made the spaces so small, I couldn’t get my muzzle in easily.  DixieLee got one too and she got so frustrated that she tried to paw it over.

When that bowl didn’t work, Mom got a different kind.  This one worked better.  I could get my mouth around the food but had to move from one place to another, which did slow me down about the same as putting putting a ball in my regular dish.

As far as DixieLee was concerned, it was still a stupid bowl and she easily managed to flip this one over.  She said eating off of the floor was much better.

If you are a fast eater, what does your human do to slow you down?

Bon Appetite,

Zeva

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