Couple Questions-Small food pieces, and dog water

[AMDuser]

Hello Everyone,
I see that the drs foster and smith dog food pieces are very small. My parents tell me that Iams big chunks are better because they satisfy him more because it takes him longer to digest (is this true?) and that it takes him longer to eat because he has to chew them. Otherwise, he just inhales it. Does anybody have a type of solution for this? I want to feed my dog Drs foster and smith, but I cannot feed him too much if he'll just inhale the whole thing.

My second question is this. My dog always vomits after he drinks water, what could be the problem with him? I hate doing this because we always have to put him outside then.

Thanks!

[calgal]

Nothing wrong with him inhaleing the dog food that he loves so much. Most dogs DONT chew their kibble. It's ok. Just get him a big knuckle bone and a big nylabone for chewing.

[calgal]

Oh, as for the water problem. Put down only a little water at a time. Dog's usually vomit the water if they drink too fast or too much at a time.

[2ndchance]

I have to agree with calgal. I have giant breeds and they eat small kibble. I read somewhere that dogs don't really chew food the way we do. If you go by the specifications on the dog food bag your dog should be satisfied food wise. if he has a chewing need satisfy that in another way. As for the water, again I agree with calgal. If they drink too fast it could cause vomiting.

[AMDuser]

Oh ok, thank you!

[harborough11]

Our Lab' scoffs her food so it doesn't touch the sides.
We always put about half of her meal in one of those balls with a hole in so she has to roll it around to dispense her food, she loves this and it slows her down a little bit.
Plus we hide some in her basket and other spots aswell as putting some in her bowl. She likes this and goes aroung the room tail wagging searching for meal bits plus where it's dried food it doesn't make a mess and she always finds every last bit.
Might be worth a try.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

How old is the dog?

[crazy_puppy]

How old and what breed?
If your breed of dog is prone to bloat I would try to find a way to slow him down.I have heard of people putting chains in the dogs food so that they have to eat around it and it causes them to eat slower.....Im not sure if it works as I have never had to try it. I would stick with smaller kibble...less chance of choking. If the dog eats fast it eats fast and thats not going to change whether the food is big or small.

I am babysitting 2 weim puppies and boy can they eat! There owner request's that I put 1 tblsp of plain canned pumpkin mixed up with every meal. They take their time eating that way and it fill's them up fast without making them gain weight.

Is water available constantly or just put down randomly throughout the day?
If the dog has a constant water supply they shouldnt be drinking large quantities so fast, unless after excerise. And I agree with evryone else about the water thing...he's just drinking too fast. However if it gets severe, constant or if he starts losing a lot of weight I would consult a vet to see if there is anything wrong.

[Barrett]

My dachshund gags and sometimes vomits after drinking water too. She has always done this and the vet couldn't find anything wrong with her. We just keep the water bowl on the tile floor and mop 3 times a day. She is fine right afterwards. The vet had absolutley no answer for us after x-rays and shining a light down her throat. He said she looks normal but perhaps she is drinking to fast. He advised us to raise the bowl off the ground so she didn't have to lower her head to drink. She is a mini dachshund so we just had to put a telephone book under her bowl but it didn't work. Maybe you could try it and see if it helps your dog though.

[Dopey]

just like eveyone else my pup is the same way...inhales her food, then drinks like crazy, then vomits. We just monitor her water intake. She is starting to learn not to drink so much at once.