# Raised food bowl, yes or no?



## maddogdodge (May 29, 2015)

I've heard arguments for and against having a raised food bowl. What do people recommend?


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I don't have them. Some people prefer because their dogs tend to drip or spill. As a bloat preventative, raised bowls have no effect.


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## maddogdodge (May 29, 2015)

Mfmst said:


> I don't have them. Some people prefer because their dogs tend to drip or spill. As a bloat preventative, raised bowls have no effect.


Yes I was mostly asking regarding the effect it has on bloat. Thanks


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

We do have raised bowls but Peeves always takes his food out and puts it on the floor to eat it, but both the poodles seem to really like raised bowls. It hasn't been show to have any effect regarding bloat, but I think for an older dog perhaps it is more comfortable if they have a little arthritis and it is definitely a must for any dog that has mega-esophagus (not an issue for us).


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

I have no idea it's affect either way on bloat, like you say there are differing opinions. I use raised bowls because they help keep ears out of the food and they don't have to chase the bowl around as they eat.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Sadly, we have no idea how to prevent/reduce the chance of bloat. My childhood spoo died of bloat at 5.5 years, so when I got my first spoo as an adult, I had her gastropexied when she was spayed.


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## WinnieJane (May 6, 2016)

It is my understanding that studies at Purdue found that raising food bowls actually increases the risk of bloat. Perhaps that has been contradicted by subsequent studies, however.

Here's a summary of the Purdue research; I'm not sure if there is anything more recent:

Risk Factors for Canine Bloat by Jerold S. Bell DVM, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine

"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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## Curly-Wurly (Jun 7, 2015)

WinnieJane said:


> It is my understanding that studies at Purdue found that raising food bowls actually increases the risk of bloat. Perhaps that has been contradicted by subsequent studies, however.
> 
> Here's a summary of the Purdue research; I'm not sure if there is anything more recent:
> 
> ...


Wow, that's the raised bowl out of the window then.


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