Experienced breeders question about distended abdomen on pup

[Mitzis Mom]

I found a link... Automatic Pet Feeder - dog & cat feeders, stainless steel throughout

[Maineyorkiemom]

Originally Posted by Mitzis Mom

I know this may be a bit far fetched but I had horses that eat to fast and got colics and bloated. To make them eat slower we put big rounded rocks (about the size of a fist) into their cribs so they had to pick the food from between the rocks....
Oh... I just remembered that their is a sort of feeding device out there that only releases some kibbles at a time...

Yeah, i understand the cribbing, and i know there are devices out there to slow down a dog eating and drinking. But what would you do if that horse was in a corral with a few other horses and you did not have the set up where you can put rounded rocks? Same thing when that pup has to adjust to life with a kennel full of others who have the freedom to go in and out doggy doors all day and eat when they want. Does that one pup get locked in a cage for life? Away from other dogs? Not being able to socialize? Do you change the feeding pattern of the entire kennel for the one dog?

[yorkielady06]

Took him to the vet and it was bloat. Sucking air while eating and eating too fast. She also agrees that he was the dominant dog at the bowl and would eat and over eat to prevent the others from getting some. It is a learned behavior and will be difficult to unlearn. She also states that some never stop this behavior and if he does it will take a few months to unlearn this behavior.
I personally have always free fed my dogs and never had this issue. Will pass on the info to the breeder and take it from there. Thank you for the advice..my vet agrees 4 small meals a day and hope he comes out of it.

[JeanieK]

Just a thought but I wonder if feeding him with a more dominant adult dog might make him slow down and eat nice.

[JeanieK]

Originally Posted by bjh

Feeding just every 12 hours is wrong. Find out from the breeder when he was separated from his mother. If he was competing against 12 other pups then I can see why he would be fighting for food. I can see how if he was separated from his mom too young he could have missed out on some good lessons from his mom when it comes to eating. My moms are allowed access to their pups as long as they want and some will let pups nurse until they are well over 8 weeks old. Is he looking less bloated since you are doing smaller, more frequent meals? We would love to see pictures of the little fella. How much does he weigh? Also, I know Fromm is a good food but he might like it too much. What flavor are you feeding him? Are all your dogs on Fromm?

This is the way I do it also. My puppies have food available to them at all times. I fill their bowl with kibble before I go to bed.

[Maineyorkiemom]

Originally Posted by JeanieK

Just a thought but I wonder if feeding him with a more dominant adult dog might make him slow down and eat nice.

That is a different way of thinking.......Hmmmmmnnnnnn....I wonder.

[Mitzis Mom]

Originally Posted by Maineyorkiemom

Yeah, i understand the cribbing, and i know there are devices out there to slow down a dog eating and drinking. But what would you do if that horse was in a corral with a few other horses and you did not have the set up where you can put rounded rocks? Same thing when that pup has to adjust to life with a kennel full of others who have the freedom to go in and out doggy doors all day and eat when they want. Does that one pup get locked in a cage for life? Away from other dogs? Not being able to socialize? Do you change the feeding pattern of the entire kennel for the one dog?

ooops... I didn't see that coming! Can you please explain to me how and on which foot I stepped? I was just offering an experience of mine. Besides I thought this Yorkie was fed by itself, did I read that wrong? Oh... and I am free feeding 5 Yorkies without any problems, have a doggie door, all 5 Yorkies are healthy and happy and are neither overweight nor starving.

Hmmm... I just remembered why I haven't been on YT for over a year... THANKS FOR REMINDING ME!!!

[Maineyorkiemom]

Originally Posted by Mitzis Mom

ooops... I didn't see that coming! Can you please explain to me how and on which foot I stepped? I was just offering an experience of mine. Besides I thought this Yorkie was fed by itself, did I read that wrong? Oh... and I am free feeding 5 Yorkies without any problems, have a doggie door, all 5 Yorkies are healthy and happy and are neither overweight nor starving.

Hmmm... I just remembered why I haven't been on YT for over a year... THANKS FOR REMINDING ME!!!

I dont mean to offend you. What i meant is that i free feed my kennel dogs and the moms in the house and any young pups. The pup in question just came to us last Friday with a fully distended belly, hard as a drum. And there is no placating him....he chews at an empty bowl, and licks his choppers if he even thinks you are gonna give him something. You have to watch your hand too! The food is gone in an instant, not chewed just gone! Im not used to having to keep a yorkie locked up, or alone, or having to feed him alone.....Im into giving them their freedom to eat, or run or play, and not having to adjust an entire kennel for the one pup. Mine are all spoiled...and that is how i like to keep it. This poor baby just learned this bad behavior and I am not crazy about always having to keep him alone. Im sorry if you took me wrong.

[YorkieRose]

Originally Posted by yorkielady06

Took him to the vet and it was bloat. Sucking air while eating and eating too fast. She also agrees that he was the dominant dog at the bowl and would eat and over eat to prevent the others from getting some. It is a learned behavior and will be difficult to unlearn. She also states that some never stop this behavior and if he does it will take a few months to unlearn this behavior.
I personally have always free fed my dogs and never had this issue. Will pass on the info to the breeder and take it from there. Thank you for the advice..my vet agrees 4 small meals a day and hope he comes out of it.

And you are going to encourage her to feed her dogs more, right..not just YT members idea, but the vets...
Do you think this feeding program is out of ignorance about good health and well being or to save money?
Wishing you good luck..I bet he will bounce back really well with good care.

[Maineyorkiemom]

Originally Posted by YorkieRose

And you are going to encourage her to feed her dogs more, right..not just YT members idea, but the vets...
Do you think this feeding program is out of ignorance about good health and well being or to save money?
Wishing you good luck..I bet he will bounce back really well with good care.

I encourage people to feed their dogs what they need to be healthy. Puppies normally know when to stop, at least every pup i have raised and placed in great homes. And if a bowl goes empty faster than i thought, i put more in! I would chase them around with a chicken leg or a pork chop if i thought they were starving and needed to eat something they liked! (And Ive had a nursing mom or two play it up, walk away when im offering dogfood, and hold out for chicken, or heavens forbid, steak!)

[Mitzis Mom]

Originally Posted by Maineyorkiemom

I dont mean to offend you. What i meant is that i free feed my kennel dogs and the moms in the house and any young pups. The pup in question just came to us last Friday with a fully distended belly, hard as a drum. And there is no placating him....he chews at an empty bowl, and licks his choppers if he even thinks you are gonna give him something. You have to watch your hand too! The food is gone in an instant, not chewed just gone! Im not used to having to keep a yorkie locked up, or alone, or having to feed him alone.....Im into giving them their freedom to eat, or run or play, and not having to adjust an entire kennel for the one pup. Mine are all spoiled...and that is how i like to keep it. This poor baby just learned this bad behavior and I am not crazy about always having to keep him alone. Im sorry if you took me wrong.

Well... I still think you overshot by quite some paces... and I still don't understand why you think that I wanted you to change a whole kennel routine or have this particular pup being locked up 24/7... I only meant maybe you could put some bigger items (big enough that he can't swallow them by accident) in a big bowl when he is fed so that he has to slow down while eating. Since you talked about feeding him several small meals a day I came to the conclusion that he gets fed by himself or at least in a controlled environment. When I'm talking about freefeeding I think of unlimited food being offered all day with unlimited acces for every dog or puppy to eat whenever and as much he/she feels like... am I wrong with that?

[Maineyorkiemom]

Originally Posted by Mitzis Mom

Well... I still think you overshot by quite some paces... and I still don't understand why you think that I wanted you to change a whole kennel routine or have this particular pup being locked up 24/7... I only meant maybe you could put some bigger items (big enough that he can't swallow them by accident) in a big bowl when he is fed so that he has to slow down while eating. Since you talked about feeding him several small meals a day I came to the conclusion that he gets fed by himself or at least in a controlled environment. When I'm talking about freefeeding I think of unlimited food being offered all day with unlimited acces for every dog or puppy to eat whenever and as much he/she feels like... am I wrong with that?

Nope, you are 100% correct in your thinking. (1) About the free-feeding (2) he does get fed alone right now and its a great idea to slow him up. He is a new pup, and will need to relearn to eat slow and that he can have as much as he needs to live without having to fight over it. I may have jumped a few paces, because i worry, and i would not want any dog locked up and away from the companionship of other dogs, so i hope and pray that he will learn to slow down and then he can join the others and have a great time.

[bjh]

Since he is still fairly young and not a really big pup I wonder what he would do if you ground up the puppy food so he would have to lick it instead of gobbling it. This is how I wean my pups, they start out slowly on food. I put the ground food out in a small bowl and they start licking it when they are around 4 weeks old. I use a blender to grind up the dry food. It might help with the bloating also.

[YorkieRose]

Originally Posted by Maineyorkiemom

I encourage people to feed their dogs what they need to be healthy. Puppies normally know when to stop, at least every pup i have raised and placed in great homes. And if a bowl goes empty faster than i thought, i put more in! I would chase them around with a chicken leg or a pork chop if i thought they were starving and needed to eat something they liked! (And Ive had a nursing mom or two play it up, walk away when im offering dogfood, and hold out for chicken, or heavens forbid, steak!)

I guess I sound like I am beating a dead horse...it was posted they only got food every 12 hrs in a large group...just about every puppy is going to learn food aggression in a situation as this...and you are correct I have also not any pups overeat to the point of bloating or vomiting..but then again they are not ravenous at meal time...
I am just a bit pissed off at the breeder for being so uncaring to her puppies needs..then again as most know, I am hard on breeders..it's my job!

[Mitzis Mom]

Originally Posted by Maineyorkiemom

Nope, you are 100% correct in your thinking. (1) About the free-feeding (2) he does get fed alone right now and its a great idea to slow him up. He is a new pup, and will need to relearn to eat slow and that he can have as much as he needs to live without having to fight over it. I may have jumped a few paces, because i worry, and i would not want any dog locked up and away from the companionship of other dogs, so i hope and pray that he will learn to slow down and then he can join the others and have a great time.

I hope so too and we all will keep our fingers, toes and paws crossed that he will learn fast that food is not running out in your home. Bless you for taking the poor little guy in!