Is Your Bulldog Eating Too Fast?
Is Your Bulldog Eating Too Fast?
Few things are more adorable than watching your bulldog come in from running around outside and lap the water up like they are running a marathon. And the same can be said true for when they chow down their food faster than you can say their name. Despite the fact we might think it’s “cute” it actually is not, and can be very harmful.
Dangers of Bulldogs Eating Too Fast
Bulldogs love to eat and can do so extremely fast. According to the American Kennel Club, “eating so quickly can be quite dangerous for our dogs.” Some of these dangers include health issues such as the following:
- Aspirated pneumonia (This occurs when a dog inhales a piece of food or a food particle into their lungs.)
- Choking (If they start to make an “ack ack” sound while eating, rush over to help them because this means they are choking on their food.)
- Vomiting (They are not taking the time to chew the food, and are just inhaling and swallowing it.)
- Bloating (This can cause even more serious conditions known as gastric dilation.)
Eating too quickly is certainly not ideal and can even be life-threatening for bulldogs as we can see from the above examples. Of course, we want to research ways to ensure our bulldogs are not eating too quickly. So the question is…how do I slow down my bulldog from eating too quickly?
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How to Slow Your Bulldog’s Eating Down
1. Feeding times
While there are many solutions to slow a bulldogs eating down one of the most important is how many times a day they are being offered food.
According to the National Library of Medicine results from the Dog Aging Project found that Once-daily feeding is associated with better health in companion dogs. Unfortunately this idea of once-daily feeding can be extremely risky and result in devastating complications for bulldogs who by nature love to eat, and eat FAST.
We recommend 3 times daily (7am, 11am & 4pm) for puppies under 6 months. In general puppies eat their food fairly fast and offering smaller water soaked (we will touch on this father into the article) meals evenly spread out helps to curb their hunger.
After a bulldog hits the 6 month mark we encourage a transition to twice daily meals (morning and early evening).
2. Ensure Your Bulldog Is Eating At the Right Height
This might seem like a humorous point because after all, bulldogs are already low to the ground. However, we want to always make sure that our bulldogs have ease of access while eating, according to their correct height.
If it is too high or too low for them and they are struggling, they could feel like it is a fight to eat which can cause fast eating.
So, if your bulldog bowls are too low, that is easily solvable by elevating their food and water bowls. And vice versa, if it is too high, simply lower them to the floor level to make it easier for your bulldog while eating.
3. Find Your Bulldog the Right Bowl To Eat From
There are many different type of bowls you can find for your bulldog. So, which is the right one to get? One great bowl to get to slow feeding down is what’s called a maze bowl, or slow-feeding bowl. These bowls have various designs that spread the food out so that your dog won’t wolf the food down all at once.
Unfortunately, depending on the personality of your bulldog they will sometimes get frustrated and flip the bowl on purpose to eat faster. This is where the raised eating area comes in handy. The raised frame should fit your bowls tight enough to discourage your bulldog from being able to move or flip their dishes.
A great alternative to the maze or slow feeding bowl is to add a large, yes I mean LARGE rock (atleast fist size or larger) to the bowl. Your bulldog will have to push the rock around to get their food resulting in slower eating.
A great reminder here is to use a stainless steel or ceramic bowl. This helps to keep out harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli. which can cause bulldog acne.
4. Feed Your Bulldog the Correct Amount of Food
Lastly, be sure that you are feeding your bulldog the correct amount of food. This might seem like a no-brainer. But, just as we as humans don’t eat the same as babies, neither do pets of various sizes.
We need to ensure our bulldogs aren’t eating quickly simply because they are being underfed. And while this typically is never a huge problem in the bulldog world, it is something to think about.
How much your bulldog should eat is really dependent on how big they are. A good average to go by is about two to three cups a day for an average adult, most will be at their best weight at 2 cups. Puppies going home will be eating roughly 1/2 cup three times daily and increase as they grow.
*We recommend puppies 6 months and younger be fed softened food. The best way to soak food is to add hot water to just cover their food and let sit for 10-15 minutes. The food will expand and become soft, note do not use cold water… it will take much too long and will not soften entirely.
Additional Solutions To Helping Your Bulldog Slow Down While Eating
The above ideas are the four most common ways to ensure that your bulldog isn’t eating too fast. But, those are by no means an exhaustive list of what is possible. Here are four fun DIY (do it yourself) ways you can help your bulldog slow their eating down.
- Get yourself a large rock to put in your bulldog’s food dish. We do mean a LARGE rock, so as not to worry about your bulldog accidentally eating it. This will do the trick of slowing their eating down significantly as they will have to push the rock around to get to their food.
- Grab a large cookie sheet and shake the kibble throughout the entire pan. This will naturally slow your bulldog down as the food is spread out rather than in one bowl.
- Add about an inch of water to your bulldog’s food bowl with their kibble. Floating their kibble in water is a great way to slow down their eating while hydrating them at the same time! (And who doesn’t love an additional benefit?)
- For the pups who are in training, you can also feed them handfuls of kibble during training sessions or use a puzzle toy/food dispenser. These are fun ways for you and the bulldog to bond during training, while guaranteeing they aren’t eating too much at once.
Not only is slow eating safer and healthier, but these above solutions can also allow your bulldog to use some brain power while eating their meal! And we all know that bulldogs are the smartest dogs out there. (Well, at least we think so. And if you’re on this post you probably agree with us.)