Hi, GD puppy - nearly 4 months.... 75% barf fed (in process of moving over totally once I get over my phobia of giving him chicken wings!)

Have heard conflicting advice on raising the food bowl or not and the effect it has regarding bloat...

Any thoughts please?

Chloe

Hi Chloe
I have Wolfhounds and I always feed them from a raised platform. It doesn't have to be very high, my bitch has 2 concrete blocks, one on top the other, so it is probably about 9 inches high.
However, I know that this is now considered *old fashioned* and there has been conflicting opinions on this subject recently. I have read that some studies show that raising the bowl "increases" the chances of bloat (study was American I think). (It's a bit like which way to put a baby in a cot, on their front or on their back, the recommendations change :rolleyes: ).
Personally, I feel that a bowl raised from the ground is a good idea in lots of ways. e.g. It stops giant/large dogs having to splay their front legs to eat, the food goes down with gravity not against it, etc.
I think anything you can do to reduce the risk of Torsion is worth doing. Feed twice a day for life, raise the bowl, no exersize before or after feeding, etc.
JMHO, I hope it helps you to decide. :D
Nicky

I've had a bloat and torsion and now feed raised at chest height. I will always do that now regardless of the research. It seems to be an individual thing though so do what you feel best as there are so many conflicting theories of how it occurs and how it is prevented.
In my dog I feel it may have been caused by his style of feeding which was to snatch the food and gulp it down in big mouthfuls without chewing. Raising his bowl prevents him eating like that as he doesn't need to throw his head back.
I have a wire stand for two bowls in the house but in the kennels I just have a large stainless steel bowl in the top of a bucket. It fits exactly and is the perfect height - it can be weighted with a brick inside it if you need to . Some of the purpose built raised feeders are a ridiculous price and not really necessary.

Just as an aside, how many of folks dogs, like 3 out of four of mine, eat lying down??

I would imagine this is a fairly natural postiton, as when i see nature programs of wild carnivores eating (Pack ones that is) they are often lying down at the kill!

Most of mine do but the gulpers are the ones who always stand.

Only when it's a Pig ear or another type of chewie.
Never for dinner. Of course, then it would be uncomfortable for my shorties :D :D :D
:cool:

Mine lay down with the meaty bones & only stand to tear the meat off & straight back down again but stand to eat the meat/veggy meal.
Christine, Spain.

All my hounds get fed from raised bowls.

Hi

We lost our 11 year dalmation in a kennel when we went on holiday due to this condition. They had not used the raised feeding platform.

sorry this is short as it is a very sad point for me.

regards
Jacke