Help! Paranoid New Owner!

[Guest jjsterc]

Hey everyone,

 

We just adopted our new retired racer, Indy, on Wednesday. It was love at first sight and he is incredibly well behaved, especially considering he has no idea what's going on in his new world. He's adjusting to life at home extremely well and learning incredibly quickly. If there was one "issue" we have had thus far, it is his lust for food. We haven't been able to eat in peace and I've been trying to getting him to back away when I ready his meals to mostly no avail. He was a tiny bit underweight when we adopted him, so we've been adding a half a cup a day (totaling 4.5 cups in a day - 2 cups for breakfast, 0.5 for lunch, and 2 for dinner).

 

On to my point: Today, he was bugging me extra for food any time I would even walk into the kitchen. When it came time for him to eat dinner, he devoured it, coughing and throwing up his dried food, whole, while still eating. I was serving it to him completely dry, but added some water to it once he began gagging. He wolfed down the rest and even ate everything he threw up all in under two minutes. I googled his vomiting mid-meal to make sure that he was ok and then stumbled onto the deadly effect of bloat and how one of its primary causes is eating too fast.

 

I now need someone to either tell me straight up to watch him closely (he's napping and currently showing no symptoms as far as I can tell - though I'm paranoid that his stomach looks bigger) or that he is most likely fine and one meal eaten too vigorously can't cause bloat and kill him. I'm in a state of mental anguish at the moment and just need some advice/reassurance from experienced owners.

 

Please help!!!

 

Thank you all so much for being a resource.

 

Justin & (hopefully-not-bloat-suffering) Indy

[Batmom]

Napping and showing no symptoms = he's fine.

 

As you found, adding some water is a help. You can get special bowls to help slow them down. Some people put an object (e.g., heavy non-breakable cup) in the middle of their bowl or feed on a cookie sheet instead.

 

One of mine who is gone now (not from bloat!) could eat 2-3 cups of kibble, with water, in just over 30 seconds flat. She never gagged so I never worried about it. The girl had talent!

 

One of my current girls doesn't eat *that* fast but is a serious food hound. After awhile they get to know that they won't get your dinner, won't get a treat every time you open the fridge, etc. One of our favorite phrases here is a sorrowful, "No, no, not for dogs," and she has learned to give up hope (and pestering) when she hears that.

 

Congratulations on your adoption, and best luck!

[Time4ANap]

If he's acting normal he is most likely fine.

 

Here's a reference chart for bloat. http://www.gdca.org/health/Bloat-Chart.pdf

Print and keep it somewhere handy. We keep one on the refrigerator just in case.

[Guest jjsterc]

Thank you all so much - I took him for his after dinner walk about an hour and a half after and he pooped and my girlfriend insists he's acting normal and seems fine, but he's making the occasional guttural burp noise. The big problems is that we haven't had him long enough to know what is/isn't normal yet... He's a very quiet guy, so when he makes noises, I tend to really notice. He isn't physically showing any signs of discomfort, but I'm hoping that the gas isn't some kind of early sign that I'm missing. I know I'm probably just being overly paranoid, but I really love him and just want him to be OK... Thanks again!

 

Justin & Indy

[Hubcitypam]

 

 

..."No, no, not for dogs," and she has learned to give up hope (and pestering) when she hears that.

 

Here also.

[dostacos]

Just because you are PARANOID does NOT mean they are not out to get you,

 

after all paranoids have enemies too,

 

or as Henry Kissinger once said " I am NOT paranoid, they ARE after me..."

[krissn333]

I always add water to their kibble. I have two gobblers who will choke, sputter, and SHOOT kibble from their throats if it is given to them dry.

 

The extra burping is likely from gulping air while eating. Going forward, I would add enough water so that the kibble almost floats in the bowl. That's what I do with mine. Clarice still eats in about 30 seconds. And she always has a big burp. Sometimes I burp her. No joke.

 

They make all kinds of special dishes for voracious eaters. Or, I just saw someone on Facebook the other day who literally scatters the kibble across the kitchen floor and her dog eats it like a scavenger hunt. Unorthodox? Sure. But it works

[Guest Scouts_mom]

To help reassure you: Bloat does happen, but it is really not as common with racing greyhounds as some of the books make you think. He sounds like he is just a fast eater. Hopefully he will slow down with time.

[kronckew]

i got one of these for poppy (similar to no. 3), they are designed to slow them down.takes poppy a few minutes to empty this one with dry kibble. i add water occasionally along with a little wet food to make a soup wuth croutons for her to vary the meals. she generously walks over to me after eating to share her burp. the bowl fits her raised feeder.

 

[smurfette]

You can put a heavy object in the middle of his bowl like a cup or a stone. He than has to eat around it. That will slow him down. A friend of mine hand feeds (is this the right word?) her dog his kibble one by one - but it's a much smaller dog than a grey.

 

Paddy was like your boy, too. In the beginning he would clean his bowl and than start on his brothers'. I normally free feed a bowl of kibble for each dog during the day and raw in the evening. My older boys prefer to eat a few kibbles here and there during the day and not all at once.

Paddy learned very fast that there is always something to eat in his bowl and stopped his behaviour. He now eats a few kibbles here and there and devours his raw evening meal like his brothers do.

 

But he is a thief - not because he is hungry but because he can reach everything I forget to put away. And it's some kind of sports for him.

[Hubcitypam]

You can do the bundt pan trick, the heavy cup turned upside down trick, the big rock or two trick, the muffin pan trick or the Kong Wobbler, which has worked great for my neighbor's boxer he gets i/2 a cup in his bowl twice a day and the rest in his wobbler. As stated above NGA greys are not very prone to bloat,

[DesiRayMom]

You've gotten excellent (and calming) advice....now I'll just welcome you to the forum.

Let us know how you're doing with your new companion (and photos are appreciated).

[BatterseaBrindl]

The slow-feeder bowls are great, but We just put 2 hockey pucks (after all, we live in OhCanada ) on top of Nigels' kibble to slow him down.

[Guest jjsterc]

You've gotten excellent (and calming) advice....now I'll just welcome you to the forum.

Let us know how you're doing with your new companion (and photos are appreciated).

 

Indeed I have - and I'm very happy to report that 1.) he's fine! And 2.) we got the bowl recommended above (the #3 slow feeder) and mix his dry food with water and it takes him a lot longer to eat. He's still way too voracious for my own comfort (he cough-gags sometimes as he's eating), but he's doing OK. Thank you all so much for all of your kind words and helpful advice. Without further ado, I present Waylon Indiana AKA Indy:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEuvuwso7HVb3bRIeFvu7HaF72rLLQumdSXq2c0/?taken-by=jjsterc

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEymB80o7Eaxi_0gV1ZaxT6oY7DCByOOhyMSg80/?taken-by=jjsterc

Edited April 30, 2016 by jjsterc

[Feisty49]

Links don't work, at least for me. It IS scary the first few days of dog ownership, especially a Greyhound because everything that's read or been told makes them sound like they break very easily. They don't. They are different than other dogs in some respects, but they are dogs. You'll be fine. Just remember: they don't break and you can relax.

[Guest jjsterc]

Thanks - I would upload images to this site, but I can't figure out how to do it... I keep getting redirected to the gallery page... perhaps I'll make a tumblr page just for pics of him.

[Patsy]

Can't get a good link. Sob! 😔

[Guest WildSparkler]

Occasionally my girl will choke and cough while she's eating too, she doesn't eat extremely fast, but she doesn't chew much..haha. She also burps at least once, fairly loudly too, after every meal. Without fail, haha. I was very paranoid too when I first got Roxy, and I think I still overreact sometimes But she is like my child. And this forum has been great! As for photos, I think you have to upload them to photobucket or flickr first before they can be posted here? Then just copy the link and paste it and the photo should show up! (easier said than done, I know )

[Guest AtticusMom]

I know exactly how you feel, too. I read about bloat when I was a new grey owner and it was one of my deepest worries. It's always a good idea to know the symptoms, just in case. You don't mess around with bloat.

 

But to reassure you, several of my greys have always done a very large burp (or even multiple burps) after eating. When I fed kibble, and when I give them treats now, they might accidentally inhale a piece and cough it back up again. And, nearly all of them have had a tendency to wolf their food. And, then they will act as if they never get fed, and are starving, if they get a whiff of people food in the house.

[sobesmom]

To help reassure you: Bloat does happen, but it is really not as common with racing greyhounds as some of the books make you think. He sounds like he is just a fast eater. Hopefully he will slow down with time.

Yep. Nothing wrong with asking question though! It's quite normal behavior. Search "Fast Eater" and you'll find a bunch of discussions on the topic on this site.

[EllenEveBaz]

Welcome to you and Indy! I've got a food inhaler here who often hawks it back up while eating, no matter what. (Although I've never tried the kibble-on-the-floor method.) My other hound eats even faster, but doesn't hawk it up. Maybe bigger anatomy.

 

Since you're making progress on the food gobbling, you might want to pursue kitchen etiquette and, as posted above, train your dog never to expect food from the kitchen except at certain times. Otherwise you'll have a big, athletic dog climbing all over you, your guests, and the counters. Speaking from experience here. I'm not a diligent trainer, but one of the earliest commands all my dogs learn is OUT! You could always substitute some alternative behavior, such as Lie Down.

[juliemac]

Welcome to Greytalk, and I'm glad that your pup is doing well!

 

With 'voracious eaters', make sure EVERYTHING is off your kitchen counters when you're not home (yup, lost a loaf of bread while I was mowing the lawn once). With some work, mine learned that if they go lay down, they get rewarded with a treat (of course, my friends are appalled that I take treats to my dogs).

 

And to post pictures, there is a pinned topic on how to post (you'll set up an account with photobucket.com or other compatible storage site).

 

Have fun watching Indy's personality grow over the next 6 months or so -- it's amazing to watch!

[labcoat22]

I have two very fast eater.

 

I soak the food in water for ten to thirty minutes. With one I put little metal cups the kind you get at restaurants when you ask for your salid dressing on the side. Then he had to eat around them.

 

Another option is to hand feed them. Only giving them small hand fulls at a time.

 

My guys are never full.

 

Hope this helped

[NeedlenoseJake]

We took Jake into the emergency vet one night for what we thought might be possible bloat because he was coughing and gagging but not bringing anything up. The vet took one look at him and said "not bloat" because he was wagging his tail and alert. He had bronchitis.

[Guest jjsterc]

OK, here's my Imgur link for the first round of pics - I hope this works! http://imgur.com/a/Pj0sC