Excerpted from The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook, by Betsy Brevitz, D.V.M.
“I feed my two dogs together, and the smaller one seems to gobble her food without chewing it and then throws it back up a few minutes later. Why does she do this?”
She may be worried that if she doesn’t wolf down her food, your other dog will get some of it. This is rational fear, but her coping strategy isn’t ideal. How about feeding your dogs in separate rooms so the little one feels less pressured by the presence of the bigger dog? If she still eats so fast that she vomits even when she eats in private, then spread out her food over a large surface (such as a cookie sheet) or in several small bowls in different parts of the room so she can’t hoover up her entire meal in one breath. And if you now feed your dogs only once a day, divide the food into two or three smaller meals per day instead. Knowing that her next meal is just around the corner may help your gobbler to relax and enjoy her food less anxiously.
If these measures don’t work and the vomiting continues, make an appointment with your vet to check into the possibility that she’s regurgitation rather than vomiting.
For answers to all your canine health questions – big and small – buy The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook by Betsy Brevitz, D.V.M from Whole Dog Journal.
