Guest tasha Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 Not sure when exactly Jack turned from a fine diner to a shoveler, but it's happened! Any ideas for remedying the behaviour?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamsmom Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 I use the brake fast bowl. But I've also heard of people using a cookie sheet and spreading the food out so it takes longer and also others have just put a large rock or a soup can in the middle of the bowl so it slows them down. Good luck Quote ~Beth, with a crazy mixed crew of misfits.~ Forever and Always missing and loving Steak, Carmen, Ivy, Isis, and Madi.Don't cry because it's ended, Smile because it happened.Before you judge me, try to keep an open mind, not everyone likes your taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lucylei Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Not sure if this is the best way to go about it but when I noticed my greyhound eating so fast that she was coughing it up and eating it again, I started standing next to her bowl with portions. When she ate too fast I would wait longer to give her the next portion. If she ate well she would get the next portion faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Is he choking? Or regurgitating? If not, I wouldn't worry about it. We've always had speed-eaters here. I just put a little water on the food - dry causes hacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Yup, I don't worry about it unless the dog is having problems. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 If it makes you feel better, you can try a slow feeder bowl. Some people have luck putting a tennis ball in the dog's bowl. http://www.amazon.com/Skid-Stop-Slow-Feed-Bowl/dp/B00251EPL2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364703094&sr=8-1&keywords=Slow+feeder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tasha Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Hey everyone, thanks for the suggestions! My main reason for wanting him to chew his food rather than gulp it was for the plaque removal benefits. We have him on t/d, and I was hoping that in combo with the daily tooth brushing, I might have a chance of keeping some teeth in his head, lol! He doesn't choke or gag on the food, which is a good thing! We tried the large rock in the middle of the bowl thing this morning, and he very carefully went to each piece of kibble, gingerly picked it up, and proceeded it swallow it! Darn dog! Looks like annual dentals may just be on the table for Sir Jack after all, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Unfortunately, a lot of them do swallow the kibble whole without chewing. We feed the 'large breed' formula because the chunks are bigger and sort of forces them to chew. You can also go a long way with a water additive if you're concerned about dental health... Greyhounds' teeth issues are more about controlling oral bacteria and less about the actual plaque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Are you feeding the regular size (not Small Bites) t/d, and he swallows them whole? Those are huge kibbles, probably more than 1 inch wide. LOL I give t/d as treats, and my boy Wiki sometimes swallows them whole too, which totally defeats the purpose. Sometimes he coughs them back up, then chews the 2nd time. He's gotten better about this over time. Since Jack is swallowing them whole even when eating slowly, maybe his teeth are hurting him? While t/d helps with dental health, it's not nearly as effective as tooth brushing. Other products like oral sprays and rinses can help too. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytpups Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Some folks have also tried using muffin tins instead of a bowl. We used a stainless steel ball in Brooke's bowl. Eventually she slowed down on her own. We also soak her kibble with hot water for a few minutes to avoid bringing her kibble back up. Quote Jan with precious pups Emmy (Stormin J Flag) and Simon (Nitro Si) and Abbey Field. Missing my angels: Bailey Buffetbobleclair 11/11/98-17/12/09; Ben Task Rapid Wave 5/5/02-2/11/15; Brooke Glo's Destroyer 7/09/06-21/06/16 and Katie Crazykatiebug 12/11/06 -21/08/21. My blog about grief The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. ― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest june Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I tried a flat cake pan and that worked great but did not hold up well. I finally found and bought a large stainless steel puppy pan! Works terrific and no more messes on the floor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeh2o Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I put racketballs in Carl's bowl, it slowed him down some. When I switched to raw, it became a moot issue. This slow down eater was on DoggyLoot this week. Quote Sunsands Doodles: Doodles aka Claire, Bella Run Softly: Softy aka Bowie (the Diamond Dog) Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 (edited) Remember, dogs don't normally chew their food anyway. And some of those foods which come in larger chunks are just right for serious greyhound choking. Especially since they aren't really a large breed dog, head wise. I'd just wet it and let him enjoy. I've heard of some people dropping a Kong into the bowl, because then you can run it through the dishwasher. Raw turkey necks are great for teeth cleaning. Water additives and dental sprays/gels are also helpful as is, of course, brushing. And there's a lady in your neck of the woods who can help with the dental maintenance plus give him a spa treatment at the same time. Edited March 31, 2013 by OwnedBySummer Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatterseaBrindl Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Two hockey pucks placed on top of the kibble worked for my guys beofre we switched to raw. . Stainless steel balls made for 'gobblers' are available at most pet stores, but the hockey pucks worked for us. They're heavy and the dogs never took them out. I see that someone else uses a racketball and a floor hockey ball would work too....as long as your dog dose not just take the ball out... Tennis balls are a good size but they'd get awful messy.... Quote Nancy...Mom to Sid (Peteles Tiger), Kibo (112 Carlota Galgos) and Joshi. Missing Casey, Gomer, Mona, Penelope, BillieJean, Bandit, Nixon (Starz Sammie), Ruby (Watch Me Dash) Nigel (Nigel), and especially little Mario, waiting at the Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tasha Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 There's an excellent product out there called Healthy Mouth (doesn't have any of the xylitol in it that some of the others like Breathalyser, etc have in them) that I think I'll be adding to his water; I've seen it do some fairly remarkable things for patient's mouths, I was just hoping to be able to do a combo t/d, Healthy Mouth and brushing routine to really cut down on the bacterial load in his mouth! I think we'll give it a few more days and if he keeps gulping, we'll discontinue the t/d altogether - the individual kibbles are way to big for him to be swallowing whole! I've told a few clients over the years to stop feeding something as large as t/d if the dog is just going to swallow it anyways, haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 Hey everyone, thanks for the suggestions! My main reason for wanting him to chew his food rather than gulp it was for the plaque removal benefits. We have him on t/d, and I was hoping that in combo with the daily tooth brushing, I might have a chance of keeping some teeth in his head, lol! He doesn't choke or gag on the food, which is a good thing! We tried the large rock in the middle of the bowl thing this morning, and he very carefully went to each piece of kibble, gingerly picked it up, and proceeded it swallow it! Darn dog! Looks like annual dentals may just be on the table for Sir Jack after all, lol I've never had a grey at my house that chewed kibble. Of any size. I'm sure some do - but lots won't, regarless of eating speed. I wouldn't count on chewing food for plaque removal. Even if a dog does chew kibble, it's not really going to do the trick. Brushing works, and chewing raw bones is Fabulous for teeth. I feed kibble, but I give raw bones for chewing - all kinds - and I haven't had to do yearly dentals. Raw bones are the way to go for teeth, IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o_rooly Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 The only things I've EVER seen Aston chew are broccoli, and of course, turkey necks. Everything else is down the hatch as quickly as possible. We wet his kibble to prevent choking, or drop his solid red Kong bone in the bowl. or both.In regard to kibble's plaque removal ability, a Houndstooth dental tech once told me, Kibble is about as good at removing plaque in dogs as biscotti is for humans. The turkey necks take care of Aston's plaque removal instead. Quote every day a tiny adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 You mentioned the Healthy Mouth product. I tried it, didn't notice any difference between it and the pet store version that I'm now using -- other than the hideous price. HATED the green color it gave to the water and Summer didn't much care for the taste. Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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