boxer eating to fast

Question
Hi Patti, i have a 2 year old boxer ,i worrie as he eats way too fast and then his tummy starts to gurgel and the gas (bad)i know by the way he acts he is uncomfortable , he dose suffer from tummy problems he has been to the vet and they gave him some meds witch sorted him out , for now i would be greatfull if you have any ideas
many thanks
jacquie

Answer
Hi Jacquie,

Eating too quickly is not an uncommon problem. In Boxers it's particularly important for them to eat slower because they are one of the breeds at risk to develop "Bloat", a potentially life threatening condition.

There are special bowls you can buy that have "obstacles" built into to bottom of the bowl that slows down how fast your dog can eat. There are a couple different designs of these bowls available, you can see an couple of examples of these special dog bowl here:

http://www.lucysdoghouse.net/dogbowls.html

http://www.eatslowerpetdishes.com/

Using the same principal as these feed bowls to slow down how fast a dog eats, some people solve the problem very inexpensively by placing a large rock (be CERTAIN it is too large for your dog to swallow!) in the center of his food dish. You could use 2-3 large rocks if the dish is large enough, or a large ball such as a softball. This will cause your dog to have to work around the obstacle(s) to get his food.

If your dog eats a dry food, you can also scatter his food right on the floor. It will take him longer to eat his food because it's not in one easy to devour spot.

Best of luck!
Patti