# Raised food dishes



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

How many standard poodle owners here on the forum have raised dishes for their spoos? I've read conflicting opinions on the value (or not) of raising your standard's food dishes.

I just talked with my vet today and mentioned what I had learned on this forum about tacking the stomach during spay surgeries to prevent torsion - she's all for it and just told me to make sure it's on the surgery orders when Lucy comes in sometime next year for her spay.

I understand that the stomack tacking won't prevent bloat (just the potentially deadly stomach twisting that can occur because of the excess gas) but I've heard that raising food dishes can help with the bloat (and then I also read something that said it could actually CAUSE bloat...) :wacko:

What do'yall do??


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_That sure will give you a headache! I don't used raised dishes. I just figured that the natural way for a dog to eat is to put it's head down to the ground so I use bowls that are on the floor. 

I have heard the conflicting reports as well and it is enough to make your head spin!!_


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

spoospirit said:


> _I have heard the conflicting reports as well and it is enough to make your head spin!!_


:alberteinstein: 

All my dogs eat from dishes on the floor right now - I never really noticed until recently how freakin' TALL Lucy has gotten and she looks funny with her head so much lower than her shoulders as she's eating!  She's getting to be such a big girl!


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

No raised dishes and no torsion for us (fingers crossed). I do not think there is bloat in her background. But if you feel safer doing it, I dont think it can hurt.


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Thanks, Cherie! I'm not going to worry about the actual torsion since Dr. Amy said she'd do a quick tack of Lucy's stomach when she's doing the spay next year (I read a thread on this forum where tacking was recommended as a preventive measure), but I'd hate for her to ever be uncomfortable (i.e. bloat) I know that deep chested breeds can have more of a risk of bloat than other dogs, but it's good to know that this issue doesn't run in her background.

When I worked at the shelter, we had a basset hound (Pete) with whom Katy had fallen in love. He bloated and his stomach twisted. We rushed him to the clinic, but we ended up losing him... it was heartbreaking. It took a long time for Katy to recover from that and Pete wasn't even OUR dog!! We never want to experience that again!!

Cherie, do your dogs eat from floor height dishes? I've never had issues with Meika, Juliet or Hannah eating from regular dog bowls - I just want to do everything as right as possible for our Princess!!


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## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

is it common for a dog to lay when they eat?
Elphaba lays down to eat
we call it the superman pose because she stretches all the way out ((its quite hazardous if you aren't paying attention walking threw the kitchen))

we use bowls on the floor, but I was thinking about buying this bone shaped bowl stand for her...not for anything like bloat prevention just because I thought it was cute xD


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

My Hannah-banana lies down while she eats, but I think it's because she's rather lazy! 
Also, as I feed my dogs, I put their food into the dishes, but I don't give them their dishes until they are sitting calmly and giving me their attention. Once I know that they understand that I'm providing their food and they're polite about it, I'll place each bowl in front of each dog and invite them to eat.

Hannah tries so hard to please me that she'll "anticipate" what my wishes are and since she knows I want a "sit", she assumes the next thing I want is a "down" and so she'll go down... when I put her dish down for her - she just stays down there to eat!  Because she's 10+ years old and is really, really trying to be good - I don't get picky! I let her eat whatever way it makes her happy!

I like the cute bowls and such, but my stainless steel ones are so easy to clean - I just throw them in the dishwasher every now and then and they come out like new!


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## Keithsomething (Oct 31, 2009)

thats what Elphie does ^_^
she'll sit down for me and wait patiently and as soon as I sit the bowl down to her she'll lay down and start eating xD


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## FUZBUTZ (Aug 23, 2008)

We feed ours in bowls on the floor. Our standards will often lie down to eat, but the toys eat standing up, and usually like to take pieces out of their bowls and string them out all over the place, a pc. here and a pc. there and eat the kibble individually that way.


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## Harley_chik (Nov 7, 2008)

Harley (Rottweiler) eats in his crate and usually lays down too.


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## Dogsinstyle (Sep 6, 2009)

Risk Factors for Canine Bloat
http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=TUFTSBG2003&PID=5091&O=Generic


"One traditional preventative has been to raise the height of food and water bowls, but this was found to actually increase risk by 110 percent. This correlation of risk was verifiable; the dogs of the breeders in this study did not have close relatives that had experienced bloat."


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

FUZBUTZ said:


> We feed ours in bowls on the floor. Our standards will often lie down to eat, but the toys eat standing up, and usually like to take pieces out of their bowls and string them out all over the place, a pc. here and a pc. there and eat the kibble individually that way.


I have the same story as FUZBUTZ. I wondered about this because Olie and Suri will eat standing and then lay down...so I was thinking about the raised bowls as well. Just tokk Olie to the vet yesterday and the Vet assistant said raised bowls could help with bloat.?


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Yes our dishes are on the floor. I had thought once about getting raised dishes just to spare their necks, but they don`t seem to be bothered so I never did.

Thinker lays occaissionally to eat but the others don`t. Trillium has some adorable photos of Betty-Jo laying to eat and I think that is still her preffered position.


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## trj602 (Nov 27, 2009)

Both Peyton and Jagger lie down and eat. They eat raw (mostly prey model) and it's much easier to lie and eat than to stand.


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Great article, Dogsinstyle!!! Thank you for that! I will not need to spend $$ on a new raised dish for Lucy now - I can use it for her CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!!


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## Trillium (Sep 1, 2009)

I couldn't resist posting the pics Cherie was talking about. However these days all three dogs mainly eat standing up with the dishes on the floor. Except for the days when they all feel the need to take their food out of their dishes and eat it laying down in the middle of the living room. 

I forgot to upload the pics before I posted. I'm trying agian


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## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Too CUTE, Trillium!!  I love seeing pics of Lucybugs sister!! What a sweetie...


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## Trillium (Sep 1, 2009)

Thanks plumcrazy. I love seeing pics of Lucy too its like looking back to when the girls were little.


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## taxtell (Sep 17, 2009)

plumcrazy said:


> My Hannah-banana lies down while she eats, but I think it's because she's rather lazy!
> Also, as I feed my dogs, I put their food into the dishes, but I don't give them their dishes until they are sitting calmly and giving me their attention. Once I know that they understand that I'm providing their food and they're polite about it, I'll place each bowl in front of each dog and invite them to eat.
> 
> Hannah tries so hard to please me that she'll "anticipate" what my wishes are and since she knows I want a "sit", she assumes the next thing I want is a "down" and so she'll go down... when I put her dish down for her - she just stays down there to eat!  Because she's 10+ years old and is really, really trying to be good - I don't get picky! I let her eat whatever way it makes her happy!
> ...


Flip lays down to eat too. Weirdos.


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

Trillium said:


> I couldn't resist posting the pics Cherie was talking about. However these days all three dogs mainly eat standing up with the dishes on the floor. Except for the days when they all feel the need to take their food out of their dishes and eat it laying down in the middle of the living room.
> 
> I forgot to upload the pics before I posted. I'm trying agian


_Those photos as just ADORABLE! LOL My spoos never laid down to eat. They, too, have to sit and wait patiently until I put the bowls on the floor and invite them to eat. They learned this very quickly and meal time always goes well._


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## Spencer (Oct 7, 2009)

My mom has raised dishes for the hounds, however, they're all quite tall, and the raised makes no difference, they're bending down all the way with their necks to eat anyway. She occasionally fills a giant bowl with water and puts it in the floor (when she needs to clean their stainless bowls, but so they can still have water), and the poor babies have such a hard time getting down that low to get a drink.

It doesn't seem to make a difference, considering how tall they are already with their "raised dishes"... but my mother also takes measures to ensure the dogs aren't running around right after they eat or going outside to roughhouse. 

All of TheFiance's and my dogs eat in their crates standing up when they are at home... ProblemChild will occasionally lay down, but I just think that's the baby left in him


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## bigredpoodle (Sep 13, 2009)

Dogsinstyle said:


> Risk Factors for Canine Bloat
> http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=TUFTSBG2003&PID=5091&O=Generic
> 
> 
> "One traditional preventative has been to raise the height of food and water bowls, but this was found to actually increase risk by 110 percent. This correlation of risk was verifiable; the dogs of the breeders in this study did not have close relatives that had experienced bloat."


I was hoping that someone would bring this up. We use digetive enhancers.. With my background coming from Setters the risk factor was huge, just a habit that I have gotten into.. No bloat behind me either but I do think that exercise after eating should be avoided. We use Prozyme and Dogzymes hwell:


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

I have a boxer and they are VERY prone to bloat. Suggestions on the boxer forum I'm a member of include no strenuous exercise for at least an hour before/after feeding, not a lot of water with the feeding (swells the kibble), and feed 2 smaller meals a day, rather than one big one. I follow this with all of my dogs (poodle, boxer, lab), and so far, so good.


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## Mister (Sep 10, 2008)

Mister eats from the ground and i do feel that its the more natural way for them to eat. he actually kind of bows when he eats especially when eating his raw chicken dinner lol.
Another thing to consider is that Spoos are deep chested dogs and that already makes them more prone to bloat. Just make sure your dog doesnt GULP down his food in 10 seconds and you shouldnt have anything to worry about. If he is you can get a special dish with "obstacles" in it to slow him down!


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

Riley eats raw, and he usually lays down as it takes him awhile.


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## dbrazzil (Nov 10, 2009)

My poodles have food bowls on the floor and raised in a crate. No problems so far!


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