Is it normal for a puppy to not chew his food first before swallowing it? When I first got my biewer yorkie at 9 1/2 weeks I noticed he would take very long to chew his food which is understandable as his teeth were still coming in. This past week I noticed he eats much faster (he is 12 weeks now) so figured it's cause his teeth have grown but the other day he was playing & started heaving & threw up 3 whole pieces of his food. That's when I realized he has just been swallowing his food whole. Is that normal? Currently feeding him Royal Canin Extra Small Puppy Dry Food....also this the first time he actually threw up food like that although he has had a few heaving episodes as if he was choking or going to throw up but then nothing happens. Is that something to be concerned about? Each time it happened it was when he was playing, not when he was eating so now I leave him to digest his food in his pen after he eats for about 30 mins before I let him out to play. |
Do you feed on a schedule or free feed? If you are feeding on a set schedule, it could be he is really hungry when the meal is served, and he "wolfs" it down, swallowing it whole, by the mouthfuls. They swallow a lot of air doing that also, and they will burp or pass gas frequently! They have little serving bowls that address dogs that gulp their food rapidly.....forces them to eat more slowly and they are also only able to take in much smaller bites of kibble.....he seems like he is just gulping his food down, along with lots of air. If he is only 9.5 weeks old, he would do better with free feeding. My babies are still with their mommas at that age, and they eat from momma whenever they are hungry. This results in consuming smaller amounts, at frequent intervals.....a more level intake over a longer period of time...this is better for a puppy, as their activity levels peak and wan during the day....when you put a puppy on such a feeding limitation as 3 or 4 times a day, they are usually starving hungry when they get their food, and they gulp it down. ...free feed this baby....my babies go to new homes at 15 weeks of age and I tell my new owners to free feed this baby for the first year of his life, as he is still a puppy until at least 8 months of age, and he will eat when he is hungry....restricting his food can cause him to gulp and rush through his meal times because he is so hungry when he is allowed to eat, and this can cause exactly what you are experiencing. A lot of damage is done to immature babies who are food restricted at such an early age....their growing bodies and cells require nutrition to develop to their full potential, and they will eat what they need to assure they are not being underfed. After the puppy is a young adult and no longer requires unlimited intake to provide nutrition for growing body systems, then you can cut down to regulated meal times. |
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