I have come across conflicting advice regarding bloat and raised feeders. Looking at various websites, some say raised feeders could help safeguard against bloat whilst others say the opposite, that raised feeders may actually cause bloat.
Much of what I have found online seems to be second hand advice with little or nothing to back it up, so I am confused as to the truth, if indeed there is any definitive answer.
I am hoping to learn more on this from professional bodies such as vets, to see what their views are. Can anyone help?
Kind regards,
Jenny Prevel
www.dfordog.co.uk
Hi Jenny
I've heard it argued both ways, too! It would be interesting if there is anything other than anecdotal evidence either way. Dogs certainly look more comfortable eating off a raised bowl.
Beverley Cuddy, Editor
Via Twitter some research was tracked down by @K9_Kirsty. Purdue University have a paper by Dr. Larry Glickman, VMD,Ph.D, & Dr.Malathi Raghavan, DVM, Ph.D. that seems to show that raised feeding bowls and soaking food is bad for dogs prone to get bloat Here's a link http://bit.ly/bAiq0t
Bloat is one of many conditions where advice varies with time, reflecting the results of ongoing research. Yes, raising the feeding bowl was advised at one time and current thinking is that it is best to feed from the ground once more. That advice may well change in the future, if it has not already.
It may be a matter of by how much the feeding bowl is raised, so perhaps feeding off the lowest back-door step rather than raising it by twelve inches, for example? There are so many factors potentially at play in the development of bloat that the height of the feeding bowl may be insignificant or a relatively minor feature ii comparison with another factor, which may not have even been identified yet.
From personal experience, my Labrador Pippin has had her food bowl sat in a stand to raise it from the ground for the past six years or so. This is because she has intermittent episodes of neck pain which I feel date back to when a car went into the back of my car at high speed whilst I was stationary in traffic. She was lying down in the boot of my car at the time. I suffered a whiplash injury and chronic consequences, whilst she had times when she could not bend her neck to reach her food bowl on the ground. It was heart-breaking to see – a hungry Lab who simply could not lower her mouth to her food!
I found the stand at a local agriculture show and thought it was worth a try. The stand has been a revelation for Pippin so I do recommend raising the bowl for dogs who find it difficult to bend their neck to eat from the ground
Alison Logan, vet
Yes, my dogs are small to medium and not deep chested so really they didn't need raised bowls for bloat purposes but I got them one each recently anyway (fixed to the wall - very stylish) and they just look so much more comfortable eating this way.
ReplyDeleteI use a raised bowl for my greyhound but whilst researching it I could find no substantial evidence that it prevents bloat. But I do think raised bowls may help with the dogs posture.
ReplyDeleteI got raised stands for my Airedales years ago as I'd heard they were a good bloat preventative, and Ben (coming up 12) happily uses his; but when I got a new pup 6 years ago opinion seemed to have changed and I never got one for WSD Danny. He actually prefers to eat lying down, and it seems to me this is probably a pretty natural position for a carnivore to eat!
ReplyDeleteFocussing on the height of the feeding bowl diverts attention from the more likely cause of bloat, namely the health of the digestive system. Susceptible dogs tend to be of the larger breeds which cost more to feed so it is easy to persuade oneself that cheaper, lower quality foods are satisfactory.
ReplyDeleteA food which is highly digestible can be fed in smaller amounts than low-quality bulky foods. Split into two or more small meals per day reduces the size of the feed and promotes efficient digestion. The ingredients are also of better quality. Over time, this promotes the general health of the digestive system which is probably the most important factor in preventing bloat.
John Burns BVMS MRCVS
Burns Pet Nutrition