# An interesting thought on bloat risks



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

In talking with the breeder from whom I am getting my puppy yesterday we covered a wide range of topics including foods and feeding methods. I told her that Lily and Peeves free feed and that I planned to switch the puppy to their brand and that I hoped he would be able to free feed with them. She thought that would be no problem. While I have always liked free feeding since I think it takes away from the importance of food as a resource, the breeder said she likes free feeding for deep chested bloat risky breeds since they don't get overfull or gulp too much air with food as they would if they were bolting down quickly eaten meals. 

What do you all think?


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

It makes sense. Misha snacks throughout the day. She goes in, takes a piece of kibble, brings it to the living room, plays with it for a few seconds, then eats it. Then she will go back for another piece. She may eat 4 or 5 pieces and then she is done for a few hours. Never gulps and never gets over full. Not that bloat is a big problem for toys, but I can see the logic.


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## sparkyjoe (Oct 26, 2011)

I've never had the option of free feeding because both of my dogs have been the "Oh my DOG!!! DINNER!!!!!!! Must eat every bite immediately!!!!!!" type.


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

Neeka would eat any food left on any other dog's plate. I am amazed that there are multiple dogs that can eat freely all day and not eat each other's food. Good for you to be able to do that.


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

All my dogs are complete gluttons...they even eat things that aren't food. Oh and don't get me started about when they run around my property in the mornings, gobbling old apples that fell to the ground last fall and HAY.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Grace has a kibble type "working Dog complete food" It is not available in pet shops or vets since it is low priced and they can make a "LOT" more on other brands. The food is used on Australian sheep and cattle stations (the largest in the world) It is made by a company called Laucke.
Laucke Mills ? Great Barko
It is exported all over the world.
Grace free grazes on it and will only eat what she needs. It smells good, has no dyes or artificial flavour enhancement. This food is not "delicious" She will bolt other kibbles with enhancement. She gets "left overs" from our meals (in moderation) These smell of us and are a way of reinforcing the family/pack bond. 

It has been my experience with GSDs that most all bolted their food, that the ones who vomited never bloated. The ones who did not vomit when overfed would bloat.
Eric


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

lily cd re said:


> In talking with the breeder from whom I am getting my puppy yesterday we covered a wide range of topics including foods and feeding methods. I told her that Lily and Peeves free feed and that I planned to switch the puppy to their brand and that I hoped he would be able to free feed with them. She thought that would be no problem. While I have always liked free feeding since I think it takes away from the importance of food as a resource, the breeder said she likes free feeding for deep chested bloat risky breeds since they don't get overfull or gulp too much air with food as they would if they were bolting down quickly eaten meals.
> 
> What do you all think?


I tend to agree with the opinion expressed on the AKC CHF Bloat webinar which is that the current belief is that it doesn't matter how you feed, what you feed, or when you feed in regard to risk for bloat.

http://www.akcchf.org/news-events/multimedia/video/bloat.html


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## gr8pdls (Jul 13, 2010)

I don't think free-feeding has anything to do with preventing bloat. My first Standard died from bloat at age 11 and he was a free-feeder. It seems like age and physical condition are more likely influences. But, who knows ...


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

It's a great theory, but doesn't account for the fact that the pickiest, slowest eater I've ever known still developed bloat... from torsion.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Millie thanks for that link. I too am not convinced that any of these things has any predictive value about bloat, but hadn't thought about what the breeder suggested. 

Lily and Peeves free feed because it is convenient for us and neither of them was ever a big scarf it down in an instant kind of dog. In fact, Lily was a terrible eater when she was young and we started free feeding because my vet suggested to try it. I also think that since food is always available to them it has played a big role in them not having guarding issues about their food.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

Iris free feeds and I think it is great. She eats a little only when hungry snack off and on and is totally not food obsessed like the beagles I used to have....we should have named them Hoover and Kirby after vacuum cleaners because they never even chewed a bit.:act-up:

My previous dog, Rose, was a Spoo German Shep. Mix and also free fed. She was always casual about her food and never did food resource guarding and that was a pleasant demeanor to live with. She was a very special girl.

Let us know how this works out with 3 dogs. I am guessing your new pup will model her eating behavior from the other two.

VQ


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Oh, I free fed for many years, and wound up with a whole pack of the worlds most difficult eaters, progressing from cooking for them, to begging them to eat take-out that I bought for them twice a day. It was awful! I let Timi free-feed the first few days that she was here, but saw her eating less every day, but then I said "oh no, not again!" So I switched to meals for her, and I am thrilled to say that I have finally raised a good eater who will eat anything, anytime! I am left having to hand feed Teaka one bitty piece at a time because I cannot leave it down anymore, but I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to serve Timi a meal, and have it gone in a minute, over and done!
Uh oh, got ago, Teaka wants a kibble (sigh).,.,


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

My 10 year old Blue, has gotten HGE, 3 times ! I have now started keeping her food wet and heating it before giving it to her. So far she has not had anymore issues. I read that if you feed dry food your dog will always be dehydrated to some degree. I can tell a difference is how Carley's skin feels as well. I will never feed dry food to a dog ever again. I will continue wetting the dry and letting it set in the frig for a few hours or over night before giving it to them.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Carley's Mom said:


> My 10 year old Blue, has gotten HGE, 3 times ! I have now started keeping her food wet and heating it before giving it to her. So far she has not had anymore issues. I read that if you feed dry food your dog will always be dehydrated to some degree. I can tell a difference is how Carley's skin feels as well. I will never feed dry food to a dog ever again. I will continue wetting the dry and letting it set in the frig for a few hours or over night before giving it to them.



Oh, and adding water is another benefit of feeding meals. Early on I had the hardest time figuring out why Timi would vomit once a day in the afternoon around the same time. I was about to take her to the Vet to work-up this mystery illness, but I kept thinking "this is a healthy dog, she seems perfectly healthy, vomits, and then goes on her merry way, still acting perfectly healthy and eager to eat". Then it finally dawned upon me - she is eating dry food in the morning, and wet at night! And from the first time that I added water to her breakfast, she never vomited again! And she is such a good eater, no need to soak, she will drink down a whole bowl of water just to get one kibble! So I often give her just that before we go to the dog park, so I know that she is well hydrated before running around in the heat!


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

An Irish Setter breeder I spoke with cautioned against water gulping. To my unscientific mind, that made some sense for bloat prevention. I realize no one knows why dogs experience that horrific torsion with bloat. Buck has the charming habit of burping. Maybe that will help too. The Irish Setter breeder told me my dog was more likely to die from heart issues or cancer than bloat with torsion. For now, I keep Gas-x and remain watchful.


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