Does Your Dog Bolt Their Food?

Dogs bolting their food can cause serious medical issues, so preventing it is imperative even in addition to wanting to keep them busy and making food time more engaging!

If your dog bolts their food they often don't chew it adequately. It leaves them at major risk of choking on their food and regurgitating or vomiting it back up onto your floor. When food isn't adequately chewed, it means it lands in the stomach whole and the dog has more trouble digesting it. 

They can also develop bloat, more formally known as "gastric dilation volvulus", this happens when the stomach blockages and gas buildup occur and then the stomach twists- it blocks both the entrance and exit blocked. It can easily be fatal.

Beyond that, when dogs eat their food so quickly it leaves them quickly bored. By slowing down their eating, you can also use this as an opportunity to increase their enrichment activities and use their food as a reward in playtime.

You can feed the dog many smaller meals that add up to the same amount in total, and do that as a single solution or in addition to the following:

Using a Slow Feeder

A slow feeder bowl (or puzzle bowl) can be a great way to slow down even the fastest eating dogs. The idea is that the bowl naturally slows down their food consumption because of the designs in the bowl- there are all kind of designs, some are easier and some are more intricate and slow down even the fastest eaters.

Using a Snuffle Mat

Did you think a snuffle mat was just for treats? Think again! A snuffle mat can also be used with kibble- just hide the kibble in the mat itself and let your dog find their breakfast!

Create your Own Slow Feeder Bowl

By taking a larger bowl and placing a smaller bowl inside it (we recommend plastic or metal- not glass or ceramic) and placing the food around the edge, you can naturally slow down your dog's food consumption.

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Looking at their environment can also be important- do you feed your dog near other dogs? This can cause competition eating (side note: for dogs that don't want to eat or eat too slowly, this can help) and speed up their consumption.

Having a dog that bolts their food can be alarming, but by taking steps to ensure they slow down you can increase your chances of staying out of the vet's office and create a more enjoyable, relaxed feeding program for your petite pup.