What do you use and why?

I have always read and been told that big dogs need raised feeders . And we also think it's more comfortable for them not to have to bend all that way, I wouldn't want to so why should they .

i was planning to get a raised feeder, but then RRG for dummies suggested that it was worse for bloat.

my girl inhales her food so quickly...i guess i worry about bloat anyway.

plus i bought some really chic chic bowls in manhattan for my girl. so cute!

I use the raised feeders primarily because the dogs are so tall, they look very uncomfortable bending to the floor to eat and drink.

Use raised feeders for their comfort.

I was coached by my rescue group to get a raised feeder when I adopted my first dog. I have just always used them. Plus, when they have been to my friends' houses who do not have raised feeders, it was uncomfortable just watching them trying to drink water from a bowl on the floor! How could a raised feeder cause bloat?

i use a regular dog food bowl and out it on the second shelf of those white tubular bookshelves that assemble in 2 seconds---it keeps dreams food away from britty and raises it at the same time...interestingly enough, beings that i am into horses, i just read an article that suggests that raised feeders are NOT good for horses, which makes sense sense they are grazers by nature--but most if not all barns have raised feeders--i have always heard that raised feeders for big dogs is the way to go, but marni the great dane prefers her food on the floor....

Same here. It is much easier for Pharaoh to eat out of a raised feeder.

well supposedly raised feeders allowed the dog to gulp more air...

and i have to say, my dog "choked/coughed" more on her food when i raised her bowls.

i guess recent studies were done saying that raised feeders are worse for bloat.

but i know what you mean about it looking uncomfortable.

i cant believe im the only person who doesnt use a raised feeder!

the raised dish just looks more comfortable

I use one for Misty, but Pixel and Moya dont get one. I really used it because I thought she would be more comfortable and last week when I gave it to Pixel because of her bandaged foot ( she seemed to have a prob bending down) i had to put something else under for Misty cause she wouldnt eat properly she kept taking a mouthful and taking it to her bed (she does thta sometimes, if somethings upset her)

We don't use raised feeders but the food bowls of the dogs are put on the first step of our
stairs so they eat from slightly raised food bowls...for their commodity.

I put Highli's food on a towel on the ottoman in the living room (where he eats). He is rather tall, and I do it for both bloat reasons and because he has suffered from a compressed vertebra in his neck. It is much more comfortable for him. Bullet is too short for the ottoman approach, so his dinner and water are on a piece of that rubbery shelf liner on top of a foot stool in the kitchen where he eats. The other (smaller) dogs eat/drink from the floor. Our water bowls (except for Bullet's dinner one) are all on the floor because I use the kind that has those giant reservoirs and it would get tipped over. I have six dogs - they drink a ton of water! I used to have a Dane/Dobermann mix and the vet and the research I did all indicated that it is better to feed deep chested dogs with a raised feeder to prevent bloat. I do think that it is important that the feeder be at the right height or it may cause more air gulping and choking - that's why Bullet's is lower than Highli's. That's what we do...

I wanted to also add that we did'nt when we first got Bowie then he started laying down on his belly to eat we started asking questions and found out raised feeders are better this was only 1 year ago.

I didn't use a raised feeder in the beginning but found that my first dog struggled to bend low and remain comfortable. He would dip his head, snatch a mouthful of food and then raise his head to chew. Food went everywhere and he used to burp a lot after eating due to all the air he gulped.

As soon as I started feeding from a raised stand he did much better and stopped all the burping. My second dog was so tall he had to spread his legs slightly to reach the floor and because they are fed in a tiled area there was a risk of him slipping. At that point I just gave in and went and bought a bunch of raised bowl stands.

They even have one for their water in the garden and I did an experiment one day when it was hot. I put two water bowls side by side - one in the stand and one on the ground. Only my small bitch drank out of the bowl on the ground, and even then she only did it because the raised bowl was empty. Not very scientific I know, but in this house we think raised stands rule!!
Fiona

Bailey uses one because she just looks more comfortable that way and she makes less mess with her water bowl. She's not a gulper so I don't worry about her getting too much air or anything...

I feel there is good arguements on both sides of the "to raise or not to raise" theory are good. But I raise my pups cause it lookd more comfortable for them

For Elvis - I use a raised feeder ( at the moment just a large overturned bucket ). I really think that he is more comfortable eating from a raised bowl. One of his nicknames is Spider Man - its those LLOOONNNGGG legs of his.

mostly for comfort, I wouldn't want to be uncomfy while eating, but also because I've read it's better for preventing bloat.

I use a raised feeder and when we have grey dinner guests I feed them out of stainless steel bowls on the coffee table. I just think it is more comfortable for large breeds. My Mom liked our feeder so much she talked to her vet and ran out to buy the same thing for her German Shepard.

Raised feeders are the best way to go for any large dog but in particular for a deep chested dog.
Smokey's bowls are both raised (water/food) and he is much more comfortable eating this way.
His front legs will temble if he has to bend for too long. Smokey has good manners when eating and doesn't gulp his food. If I was able to take him to a restaurant to eat he wouldn't make a mess.
If a dog has to bend his legs apart he has the chance of slipping and if he was to crack a rib in the process it could pierce a lung or his heart.

I was told by my friend who has a "passed" grey that I should have a raised feeder because thay are so tall and with the long necks it's easier to swallow. I didn't get one for Miles right away and I ended up putting his dish on the bench surrounded by whatever was close so the dish wouldn't slip. He now does not choke since the raised feeder; it was definitely benificial. Although, the other night his tag collar, which is more like a necklace, wasa hanging kinda low and one of his tags caught under the rim of the feeder. When he brought his head up, food and water flew! ...and the raised feeder, too!!! Scared Miles to death - he yelped and ran from the kitchen and would not enter for quite awhile. After I pretended to eat from the feeder he was okay. The things we do...

My GH uses a raised feeder.

One of my earlier doggies, benji, developed a spinal infection at 12 and was very uncomfortable with his bowl on the floor, the doc advised a raised feeder to relieve stress on his spine . after seeing the improvements in ben, i've stuck with them for my GH, Blue.

I voted for other. We just got our raised feeder yesterday!! We bought it to prevent Chipper from choking so much. I makes sense that bending down would make eating more difficult. Here's pic of my new feeder.

Oops!! I didn't mean to post twice. Oh well here's another couple views.

We did some research and decided NOT to use a raised feeder (after we had already bought one, duh). Here are some articles:

Research Article showing increased risk w/ raised feeder

no raised feeders

However, Willow is young (2 years old). Despite the increased risk found by this study, we may go to raised feeders as she gets older, if it seems more comfortable for her. We'll figure that out when it becomes necessary, I guess!

I have one feeding station with raised platform, and one without (well, that's called the floor...). Cindy used to have the raised platform, but she wouldn't settle down to eat while Finn was eating in the kitchen, and I constantly had to keep Finn away from her food. Therefore, I put her bowl in the office, on the floor, and Finn now has the raised platform. That boy could eat standing on his head or hanging from the ceiling and it wouldn't bother him. Interestingly, Cindy doesn't do the gulp kibble halfway down, leave the bowl, go to living room floor, gagging and gasping for air, and then coughing out a bunch of kibble (and then eating it...) like she did with a raised platform. So, whatever, it all seems to work for us. I still get the occasional polite thank-you belch in the face after meals though...

Our raised feeder is really Kenya's bowl on the plastic cat litter container. Hey, it works.

The Purdue study used show dogs--high stress and as far as I am concerned, that compromised the study.

I have had 3 dogs bloat, all were stressed.

Just as we were about to buy a raised feeder, I started reading that they can encourage bloat. Ours seem perfectly happy with dishes on the floor, so I'm waiting for more consensus on the bloat issue before we make any changes.

Chase coughs alot less when eating with the raised bowl.

(Other)
I just found middle ground and built one which is only 4 and 1/2 inches off the ground. (most 'raised' feeders I see are close to 12).

He usually has his 'nose' to the ground anyway .. so the position isn't 'uncomfortable' for him... our floors can be slippy, so he doesn't hunch.

I have reservations on them being any highter... seems rather un-natural.

We raised Bilbo's, mainly for comfort. His legs would start shaking, then his front legs would start kinda sliding, so we got a small trash can, put his bowl in it and problem solved. Plus now he eats and doesnt run away if you walk around, before when it was on the floor we had to stand still or be sitting in order for him to eat. I guess he feels more comfortable. His water is on the floor but it is one that holds lots of water so it would be a mess, he can drink fine out of it without problems.

I voted other. Sara eats on a raised feeder and Legman eats from the ground in his crate.

Just doing what seems to make them happy!

All of my dogs eat and drink from raised bowls. Especially necessary for my boy who is 31.5 inches tall at the shoulder. Never had any problems.

If Brazen eats in a non raised dish...he coughs up food every few bites then eats it again off the floor. His dishes are now at 18" in a feeder that I made and he dont do that anymore.

I use a raised feeder 'just because' it makes eating more comfortable for Dasher. Also, the bowls can't get pushed around like they probably would if they were just sitting on the floor.

Back in July we didn't b/c of that Purdue study, but I recently got it back out for her. She chokes much less using a raised feeder. Ours is about 8 inches off the ground.

oops! I had never heard of a raised feeder until about 2 minutes ago!!

I think I will have to try it for Sophie, i've always thought Sophie looked a bit uncomfortable and sometimes she wont eat but that could be for other reasons I suppose!

I'm glad I came back to the site, I haven't been here for a couple of years (sorry!) and I have learnt one new thing that could help Sophie already!

Thanks guys!

Alina's feeder is raised, although only 8" so she still bends down to get her food. It's raised for her comfort.

Stands are expensive and merely raise the bowls. What you need are dog feeder boxes!

Another adopter turned me on to the idea before we got our hounds. It's a simple wooden box, hinged and latched in front, with holes cut in the top which are the right size to hold the food and water bowl securely, and a handle on each end. Depending on what tools you have, it takes an hour to two to make one from 1x10 lumber.

The result is a raised feeder that's also a portable storage box. With two hounds in the house, we use one box for treats and one for medical stuff. Depending on which box they hear us open, they know whether to come running or just run!

Don

I have two setups - Winnie's bowl is on top of an Iams can, and Tim the Terrier's bowl is on the floor. I'm surprised sometimes to find Winnie eating Tim's food - although he never steals hers. I just think its better for her not to have to eat like a giraffe grazing!

My dog's foster really insisted on them. It makes sense to me considering their long necks and height. When I was away from home and did not raise the feeder, they choked and hacked the kibble all over the floor. What a mess.

Maybe it is just what they get used to.

I don't use a raised feeder. I've read that it's worse for bloat and Phoenix seems fine without it.

I have heard it both ways - that a raised bowl both causes and prevents bloat. Basically nobody has a clue!!

So I do have them raised but I said just because. It seems more comfy. I DO went down the food because I heard that helps prevent bloat. Maybe/Maybe not.

SORRY ABOUT THE DOUBLE POST

I have heard it both ways - that a raised bowl both causes and prevents bloat. Basically nobody has a clue!!

So I do have them raised but I said just because. It seems more comfy. I DO went down the food because I heard that helps prevent bloat. Maybe/Maybe not.

I chose raised feeders for overall health, but I just realized there's another reason as well. We keep his food in 5 gallon buckets and his food and water bowl sit on top of these. He seems more comfortable, plus it easy storage for the food and it keeps us from tripping over the bowls (though it's the perfect height to tempt my youngest and for a short stage she did diligently try to eat his leftovers ).

Don't use them.....but I tried them for a very brief time.....and have had large/giant dogs for over 30 yrs with no cases of bloat. My dogs that want to lay down when they eat do, the ones who don't will stand. They will change position to whatever is comfy for them.
More important to me is stress-free meals and no exercise before or after eating.

It just looks uncomfortable for him to bend over so far. Also, once we raised the feeder I noticed we had a much neater eater with less coughing and spitting food on the floor.

If I'm not mistaken, farms, tracks and kennels do not normally use raised feeders. As such, the first time your may see one is when you provide it. With that said, I use them because I consider them cleaner and I can keep my breakfast and laundry rooms (where I feed our two) cleaner and neater.

I purchased two stainless steel bowls for each dog from Target (though Walmart has the same) and a closet shoe shelf from Lowes. I assembled the shelf, cut two holes in the top and had a nice looking stand that goes with my decor. I can also paint the stand to better match the house if I choose. Each stand cost about $16 with bowls and look much better than the wire variety.