solid food problem

[Col_c88 41]

Hi, i know this is for working dogs, and i do have a working dog but this is in regards to my misses's pet westie..

 

About 4 month ago he had an operation because he got some chew stuck in his intestines,(tho it was me that told the vet after they thought he had nerve damage -.-) after the operation we got told to mash up his food for a while so we started to buy that james welbeloved (or whatever its called) because we got told its pretty decent food and its easy for the misses to mash up with her athrities.. well now he needs fattening up as his back looking a little skinny since the operation, weve got some dry dog food now and he just vomits it back up once hes had it.

I've come to the conclusion that hes a greedy git and he doesnt chew stuff, the other day someone dropped half a sausage at a bbq and he wolfed it down, 1 minut later hes outside and hes sick.. the full half of the sausage.. this is one of many times ive seen chunks of food be vomited up because he wont chew his food. just this morning im on the toilet and i hear my girlfriend shout him to get downstairs.... needless to say he was sick on the bed.. she is so soft with him its ridiculous and now weve had an argument about why she didnt just nudge him off the bed to start with! so im plenty sick of this now..

 

is there any remedy to this? its only since I moved in here with my dog that all this has started, thing is my patterdale is not greedy at all, so theres no need for her dog to scoff his food down.. they dont fight over food, infact my dog will gladly share his food or water with the westie (though so far the westie has only been brave enough for water)

 

also any soft food that would fatten him up a little?.. just until he stops being so greedy

 

hes not in pain, hes not uncomfortable and hes not unfit or unhappy its just this food thing is becomming annoying

 

 

thanks for your help

 

 

edit: to add hes never sick off the soft food as long as its mushed up because then he doesnt need to chew it!

[deadlyshot 25]

Hi there mate have you tried halving the food amount and feed him a couple of times a day or try sticking a ball in his bowl if its biscuits this should slow him down as it will not be so easy for him to get the food! atb

[Col_c88 41]

hmm, the ball idea might slow him down yea, thanks for that its a good idea

[sallie 67]

Nothing puts weight on like Royal Cannin mini starter, its expensive and designed for pups and mums but its so palatable and small they love it. May be worth a try.

[Attack Fell Terrier 864]

LOL you've gotta be taking the p*ss.

[dymented 2,220]

try some minced chicken or beef small amounts and build him up from there

[skycat 6,174]

This might sound scary if you've only ever fed a dog dry or tinned food, but how about getting the dog a really big bone: one which is as big as his head, with meaty/fatty bits still attached. Something like a beef shin bone, but not one of those godawful fried things, nor one which has had every last bit of meat stripped from it. That way the dog has to learn to pull and chew the meat off the bone, but there's no way he can swallow the bone nor break bits off it.

 

Also, dogs which swallow large items unchewed sometimes do so because they are scared it will be taken off them before they can eat it. Try feeding the dog completely alone in a room: no other dog present, and certainly not the owner: there may be some issue in the past which is making the dog swallow stuff whole in an attempt to hide it from the owner, or protect what is his from other dogs.

 

I feed certain dogs alone in a kennel where they feel safe to eat as slowly as they want.

 

You could also try feeding the complete food moistened with water, and feed the dog one piece at a time, by hand, which will make the whole eating process a bonding process at the same time, so the dog learns that the owner provides the food and isn't trying to take it away.

 

Dogs which seem unusually greedy may also be suffering from a deficiency of one sort or another: they are desperate to get any sort of food inside them in an attempt to find that missing nutrient.

 

Have you considered feeding raw? With a good vitamin and mineral supplement. You can mince/chop up meat and fat very small, and it has the added bonus of not swelling in the stomach like dry food.

[Col_c88 41]

LOL you've gotta be taking the p*ss.

about what? trying to stop my misses dog being sick cos hes greedy and running out of ideas? yet needing to fatten him up a bit?! so come here to ask some experts as im new to dogs and know that most people here can help... unless thats just the ferret section and asking for a bit advice in the terrier section is fround apon..

 

yea i totally am takin the p*ss. unless you wernt talkin to me in which case no im not takin the piss..

 

 

anyways cheers for the ideas..I do make sure the other dog is out the way before i feed him cos its obvious that he is used to being fed alone.. I will take everything that has been said into concideration

I soaked his food in warm water for about 30 minuts yesterday when i fed him and put small amounts but fed him more often.. he wasnt sick all day.. sometimes i wonder if he puts it on to get a bit love off my misses cos when shes not here hes a totally different dog..(like now for example)

Never thought of getting a very large bone .. just completly ignored all things like that since a chew is what caused us to have him operated on .. but yea i will give that a go and just keep an eye on him.

 

 

again just want to say thankyou

[skycat 6,174]

You could try explaining to the missus that if she's always ooing and cooing over the dog, spoiling it, paying it too much attention all the time, she will be putting the dog under a lot of stress. No dog likes to be fussed over morning, noon and night: it confuses them, puts too much pressure on them mentally. They don't know what is expected of them, and if she is always like this the dog starts to think that it should somehow behave like a pack leader. Some dogs get nasty when they're treated like this, others get behavioural problems through stress, and food problems: throwing up, scoffing food too fast, acting worried: it all depends on the dog's own temperament.

 

Tell her she should allow the dog to be a dog most of the time, get her to leave it alone: she might just be surprised at how much difference it will make. If the dog is used to demanding and getting attention, because that is how it has learned to behave, it might take a while for the dog to relax and chill out, but keep at it. First thing is to ignore the dog when she comes in, just act as though it isn't there. This is not cruel, it gives the dog space, and also shows it that she isn't demanding anything from it.

 

When she's been home a few moments she can call the dog to her, give it a fuss, then leave it alone again for a while. Dogs which are substitute babies are nearly always stressed out and worried and confused.