# Raised Feeding Bowls



## PoodleMom

I am wondering what the census is on feeding your dogs from raised feeding bowls......I am having a hard time deciding if I am doing wrong by feeding my standards from raised feeding bowls.......any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.


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## Lou

I thought long and hard about this. And I decided to be "in the middle" not highly raised and not on the floor. But at a comfortable level. With bowl on the floor my dogs would look awkwardly uncomfortable like their legs are too long to lower their heads that far, they are not horses. They almost had to squat or spread their legs. Very weird looking and the food has to go against gravity into their bodies, like eating upsidedown. Did not make sense to me at all. But really high at chin level also seems wrong (my friend's lab eats like that) so this is what I decided on, they seem perfectly comfortable now. 
Just PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, I'm not a vet and can't tell you what's right or wrong  

They are allowed to drink water out if the same bowl, but only eat from their own bowl. 
















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## JudyD

For ten years, we fed our Lab from a raised bowl to help prevent bloat, but as I recall, new evidence indicates raised bowls are a risk factor...for bloat. Now he and Jazz are eating from bowls on the floor, at least until the next new evidence indicates the opposite. You might search the forum posts for more information--someone (probably Chagall's Mom, who's a whiz at this kind of thing) recently posted a link to a very interesting article about bloat.


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## Lou

Ps. I am concerned about bloat too, but my dogs eat really slow, (you can train them to do that, my friends lab used to swallow the whole thing and she taught him "chew it" and he now eats really slow and chews it throughly) that's 1 factor that matters, another thing is my dogs are not allowed to exercise after they eat. They take a nap, the vet said them jumping around with food in their stomach can cause the stomach to flip. "Torsion" which is the aspect of bloat that can be deadly... Their vet said that's the best thing I can do to avoid bloat. 
But I do not have verified info on the bowl thing, there's a lot of articles with contracting info. 

Hopefully other people will contribute to this thread so you can make a decision you are happy with.


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## PoodleRick

I've had raised bowls for both my previous Spoos. I also thought they looked uncomfortable eating from the floor. Mine only raises the bowls up about 6 or 7 inches but they look much more comfortable eating from that height. I have heard people making a correlation of raised bowls and bloat but I don't think there has been any proof yet. 

Rick


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## Poodlebeguiled

I think Lou's got the right idea. ...somewhere in the middle. I have read conflicting information too about this. When I had my Doberman, also a breed very prone to bloat, I had a small step that went down into the living room. (in the house I had before moving here) It was only maybe 8 inches high off the floor. That's where I put his food bowl. He wasn't stretching way down but he had to reach a little bit down. I was careful about hard exercise an hour or so before and after meals, as this was the info then. I don't know that anything is proven on way or the other. 

One of my horses got colic once and the vet said thrashing around isn't what causes the intestines to twist. (old myth...keep that horse up on his feet) They twist and _that's_ what makes them thrash around...the pain. So, I don't know with dogs, what's conclusive and what isn't. It makes sense to get them to eat slower and make more meals so they don't eat all at once.


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## PoodleMom

Lou said:


> I thought long and hard about this. And I decided to be "in the middle" not highly raised and not on the floor. But at a comfortable level. With bowl on the floor my dogs would look awkwardly uncomfortable like their legs are too long to lower their heads that far, they are not horses. They almost had to squat or spread their legs. Very weird looking and the food has to go against gravity into their bodies, like eating upsidedown. Did not make sense to me at all. But really high at chin level also seems wrong (my friend's lab eats like that) so this is what I decided on, they seem perfectly comfortable now.
> Just PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, I'm not a vet and can't tell you what's right or wrong
> 
> They are allowed to drink water out if the same bowl, but only eat from their own bowl.
> View attachment 134641
> 
> View attachment 134649
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thanks Lou.........my standards bowls are raised but not at chin height as well.....they seem to be comfortable at the level of their bowls......I too do not let them play after their meal, which is once a day, but I'm wondering if I should change that to two meals instead.......also my soon to be 3 year old eats fast so I have to stand by her and keep telling her to eat slowly......I think I need to put something in her bowl so she would have to eat around the kibble and maybe slow her down......Do you feed once or twice a day?......thank you Lou for your input.


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## PoodleMom

JudyD said:


> For ten years, we fed our Lab from a raised bowl to help prevent bloat, but as I recall, new evidence indicates raised bowls are a risk factor...for bloat. Now he and Jazz are eating from bowls on the floor, at least until the next new evidence indicates the opposite. You might search the forum posts for more information--someone (probably Chagall's Mom, who's a whiz at this kind of thing) recently posted a link to a very interesting article about bloat.


Thanks JudyD....I thought about taking the bowls back to the floor as well, but I am not sure if that's the right thing because they would look too uncomfortable eating that low........I did check on the site looking for some info on this and when I couldn't find anything on this, I decided to ask the question.......Thank you very much for your input.


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## Lou

PoodleMom said:


> Thanks Lou.........my standards bowls are raised but not at chin height as well.....they seem to be comfortable at the level of their bowls......I too do not let them play after their meal, which is once a day, but I'm wondering if I should change that to two meals instead.......also my soon to be 3 year old eats fast so I have to stand by her and keep telling her to eat slowly......I think I need to put something in her bowl so she would have to eat around the kibble and maybe slow her down......Do you feed once or twice a day?......thank you Lou for your input.


Thanks dear. There are plastic "bowls"' or "plates" that have "spikes" and the food sit in between the spikes making the dog have to pick up a little at time. Sorry about the poor description, my English is failing me today. I will try to find a picture


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## ItzaClip

This is what I use.... http://northmate.com/wp-content/uploads/green_community_videos.jpg

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## Lou

ItzaClip said:


> This is what I use.... http://northmate.com/wp-content/uploads/green_community_videos.jpg
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


That's What I meant! But I personally would raise it a bit  


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## PoodleMom

PoodleRick said:


> I've had raised bowls for both my previous Spoos. I also thought they looked uncomfortable eating from the floor. Mine only raises the bowls up about 6 or 7 inches but they look much more comfortable eating from that height. I have heard people making a correlation of raised bowls and bloat but I don't think there has been any proof yet.
> 
> Rick


Thanks PoodleRick.......I just measured theirs and the stand is about 10" and the bowls sit inside so the bottom of the bowls are about 8" off the ground...I think these are not too high or too low, at least for now.......Thank You for your input, greatly appreciated.


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## PoodleMom

Poodlebeguiled said:


> I think Lou's got the right idea. ...somewhere in the middle. I have read conflicting information too about this. When I had my Doberman, also a breed very prone to bloat, I had a small step that went down into the living room. (in the house I had before moving here) It was only maybe 8 inches high off the floor. That's where I put his food bowl. He wasn't stretching way down but he had to reach a little bit down. I was careful about hard exercise an hour or so before and after meals, as this was the info then. I don't know that anything is proven on way or the other.
> 
> One of my horses got colic once and the vet said thrashing around isn't what causes the intestines to twist. (old myth...keep that horse up on his feet) They twist and _that's_ what makes them thrash around...the pain. So, I don't know with dogs, what's conclusive and what isn't. It makes sense to get them to eat slower and make more meals so they don't eat all at once.


Thanks Poodlebeguiled for your input as well......I do have a question....I think I read somewhere that your feed your dogs Canidae.....what do you think of it ....I currently feed my standards this and wasn't sure if I should switch them to a grain feed but a different brand .....just was wondering your thoughts on this.....I do apologize in advance if it was not you that I thought fed Canidae.


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## PoodleMom

ItzaClip said:


> This is what I use.... http://northmate.com/wp-content/uploads/green_community_videos.jpg
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thank you ItzaClip.......I will look for this or something like it on my next visit to the stores......I appreciate your input.


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## Fluffyspoos

I figured if my dogs were eating naturally in the wild, they wouldn't be eating from anything raised. I have their food bowls on the floor, of course they could lay down to eat if they wanted, but they don't.


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## CharismaticMillie

I'm not convinced that it matters in regards to bloat...


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## Lou

I don't believe in the "if they were in the wild" thing. They have been domesticated for thousands of years. In the wild they also died of diseases, starvation.... Wild dogs weren't bred to be tall with long legs for instance ...like pugs in the wild? they can't even breathe! (Bred to have Smashed faces) How would they hunt? LOL

So in my opinion domesticated dogs can't be compared with wild animals. Not anymore.  




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## Poodlebeguiled

PoodleMom said:


> Thanks Poodlebeguiled for your input as well......I do have a question....I think I read somewhere that your feed your dogs Canidae.....what do you think of it ....I currently feed my standards this and wasn't sure if I should switch them to a grain feed but a different brand .....just was wondering your thoughts on this.....I do apologize in advance if it was not you that I thought fed Canidae.


Oh yes, I've fed Canidae for years off and on, along with Chicken Soup for the dog lover's soul and a bunch of others. Currently, I switch around a lot. I went to the pet store today and got several cans of Merrick, various blends. I look for as many meats as possible, variety, a good amount of protein...a lot. And as far as grain free, I think that trend is over done. I tend to pick grain free but I'm not adamant about it. Some foods look very good and if they have some grain, that's okay in small amounts. If a dog has an allergy or some sensitivity, then grain free might help. I read something recently...a study about that and they've decided that dogs have evolved sooooo much that they do digest grain just fine. If a dog's poo is too firm and skinny (lol) I'll give something with grain and bulk them up. That helps prevent plugged anal glands...You want big diameter poos. LOL! Gross. We sound like mothers with babies...always comparing bm's. haha. I studied that website, The dog food project...very good.


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## Lou

I fed Canidae for a while, at the time I was very happy with the quality of it, but Lou didn't like the taste. So I switched to Blue Wilderness - grain free. I believe in grain free because "corn for instant" not even humans can digest it properly , I'm not going to describe why I think that, but I'm sure you know exactly what I mean! Hahahahaha and other grains and sugars and syrups all that stuff "feed the yeast" in infections and my poodles have a tendency to have ear infections. So I prefer foods with "other veggies + lots of meat" instead of grains. Also Apollo "itches" less on grain free he could possibly be a little allergic to it 


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## Feelingdoc

This hasn't been mentioned but both my spoos take their food out of the bowl to their bed by the mouthful. They lay and eat it there..Is this bad?


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## MiniPoo

Lou said:


> Thanks dear. There are plastic "bowls"' or "plates" that have "spikes" and the food sit in between the spikes making the dog have to pick up a little at time. Sorry about the poor description, my English is failing me today. I will try to find a picture


I tried one of those bowls with my dog that ate like he was starving and hadn't eaten in a week. He immediately flipped the bowl over and ate the food off the floor. Probably not all dogs would do that. So it might work for other dogs.


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## Chagall's mom

MiniPoo said:


> I tried one of those bowls with my dog that ate like he was starving and hadn't eaten in a week. He immediately flipped the bowl over and ate the food off the floor. Probably not all dogs would do that. So it might work for other dogs.


If your poodle is still a hurried eater, you can try feeding meals using a food dispensing toy like a kong wobbler. Kong Wobbler Treat Dispensing Dog Toy | Kong Toys for Dogs The Wobbler can be used to dispense dry kibble at mealtime to extend feeding time and prevent unhealthy gulping.


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## Lou

Chagall's mom said:


> If your poodle is still a hurried eater, you can try feeding meals using a food dispensing toy like a kong wobbler. Kong Wobbler Treat Dispensing Dog Toy | Kong Toys for Dogs The Wobbler can be used to dispense dry kibble at mealtime to extend feeding time and prevent unhealthy gulping.


Great one Chagall's mom!

This thing also keeps them entertained for a while and it's mentally stimulating  since poodles are such smart babies they can get bored/antsy so I totally love giving them somethin' to do  



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## PoodleMom

Poodlebeguiled said:


> Oh yes, I've fed Canidae for years off and on, along with Chicken Soup for the dog lover's soul and a bunch of others. Currently, I switch around a lot. I went to the pet store today and got several cans of Merrick, various blends. I look for as many meats as possible, variety, a good amount of protein...a lot. And as far as grain free, I think that trend is over done. I tend to pick grain free but I'm not adamant about it. Some foods look very good and if they have some grain, that's okay in small amounts. If a dog has an allergy or some sensitivity, then grain free might help. I read something recently...a study about that and they've decided that dogs have evolved sooooo much that they do digest grain just fine. If a dog's poo is too firm and skinny (lol) I'll give something with grain and bulk them up. That helps prevent plugged anal glands...You want big diameter poos. LOL! Gross. We sound like mothers with babies...always comparing bm's. haha. I studied that website, The dog food project...very good.


Thanks again PoodleBeguiled......I think I'm going to try Canidae grain free .....my brown standard gets ear infections so this may help her as well.....it's worth a try..... thanks for all of your information....I truly appreciate all the things I learn from this poodle community.......I believe a lot of poodles and poodle owners benefit from this forum.....that is due to the members on this forum who are always willing to share their wisdom!


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## PoodleMom

Chagall's mom said:


> If your poodle is still a hurried eater, you can try feeding meals using a food dispensing toy like a kong wobbler. Kong Wobbler Treat Dispensing Dog Toy | Kong Toys for Dogs The Wobbler can be used to dispense dry kibble at mealtime to extend feeding time and prevent unhealthy gulping.


Thanks Chagall's Mom.......I think I might try this as well......thanks so much for your input.


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## cowpony

Feelingdoc said:


> This hasn't been mentioned but both my spoos take their food out of the bowl to their bed by the mouthful. They lay and eat it there..Is this bad?


Well, eating too fast is supposed to be one of the risk factors for bloat. I expect the trips between bowl and bed would slow their eating speed quite a bit.


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## ItzaClip

That's why smashing raw food into the grass feeder slows vogue down so much, plus it kept her happy in her xpen.

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## Carrie-e

When I had my standard Harley I was told to feed him from a raised bowl so I did all his life,then when I got Billy was told raised bowls could be a risk factor in causing bloat.
Billy was also a very quick eater which did worry me. I bought a bowl off the internet called 'The Lawn' and it takes him quite a while to eat his food from this,it really slows him down.


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## PoodleMom

Carrie-e said:


> When I had my standard Harley I was told to feed him from a raised bowl so I did all his life,then when I got Billy was told raised bowls could be a risk factor in causing bloat.
> Billy was also a very quick eater which did worry me. I bought a bowl off the internet called 'The Lawn' and it takes him quite a while to eat his food from this,it really slows him down.


Thanks Carrie-e for your input ......I think I need to get something like this as well for my Standard Luna....she eats fast so I have to stand by her and constantly tell her to slow down, which she does, but I know something like this will definitely be a lot easier.....thanks again.


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## Chagall's mom

PoodleMom said:


> Thanks Carrie-e for your input ......I think I need to get something like this as well for my Standard Luna....she eats fast so I have to stand by her and constantly tell her to slow down, which she does, but I know something like this will definitely be a lot easier.....thanks again.


In the meantime, you could divide her meal into several bowls placed around the the room where you feed her. Perhaps that might help. That's what I did when Chagall was pup to stop him from "hoovering" his food. It worked, and he's now a very polite diner.:eating:


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## PoodleMom

Chagall's mom said:


> In the meantime, you could divide her meal into several bowls placed around the the room where you feed her. Perhaps that might help. That's what I did when Chagall was pup to stop him from "hoovering" his food. It worked, and he's now a very polite diner.:eating:


Interesting......I think I will give this a try as well.....Thank You.


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