Bolting food

[Rahrah]

Our 5 month old pup has been fed raw since she was 3 months old- and is doing great! My concern for her is that she won't chew and eat her food slowly if it is thawed, rather it is chewed twice or three times and then swallowed/gulped whole (heart and other muscle meat). With chicken necks they are half chewed and then just swallowed whole. The way we've had to combat this, is to feed everything frozen, that way she has to take her time. It would be nice though- to have her eat sensibly and to be able to give her thawed food from time to time.

She is the only dog and obviously has no competition when it comes to meals.

Any ideas?

[onyx'girl]

my dogs gulp their meals too...other than leg 1/4s, turkey necks and pork neck bones. Chicken necks are so small, gulping them is no big deal. Maybe as she gets older, she'll slow down a bit, especially when she figures out her littermates aren't competing with her anymore!

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted by Rahrah

Any ideas?

A 5 month old GSD wouldn't HAVE to chew a chicken neck more than once or twice before swallowing. Heck, my Chinese Cresteds can chomp them a couple times and down they go!

Dogs were designed by nature to rip and tear, get BIG hunks, chomp a couple times then swallow.

I would start by offering her BIGGER items. She should be able to handle a chicken leg or thigh or even a whole wing. She will be forced to chew these more to get them to fit down her throat.

Frankly, as long as she's not having PROBLEMS will eating - like throwing things back up because they were too big or choking - I wouldn't worry.

[Rahrah]

Okay- Thanks It's just a little unnerving that she can eat her entire (thawed) meal in less than 5 seconds flat!

[onyx'girl]

One thing that slows down my dogs is when I mix the raw with chinese herbs for allergies...they hate the taste! Not that I'm suggesting this to you, but it sure slowed them down.
I agree with Lauri, a larger piece of meat will make the dog chew, I gave my pup leg 1/4's at 4 months, the first one he inhaled~after that he slowed down some.

[mtmarabianz]

I can't remember the size of 5 mo old pups
But would a chicken leg qtr be too much food? They have to slow down for that;
also, I prefer not to feed frozen, I worry much about teeth, or rather the bill for broken teeth.
Just a thought.

[Rahrah]

Broken teeth never occurred to me- is this a possibility? If so then I won't feed frozen anymore.

With eating thawed- if she manages to mostly swallow instead of chew, will she still get everything (protein, iron ect) from her food?

[onyx'girl]

At her age, she is teething, sensitivity to chew may make her NOT want to eat/crunch. She will still absorb nutrition even if she isn't grinding down the bones. You could invest in a grinder, but I'd rather have my dogs chew them.

[Rahrah]

Cool, thanks for all your help.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted by Rahrah

With eating thawed- if she manages to mostly swallow instead of chew, will she still get everything (protein, iron ect) from her food?

Yep. All the processing happens inside the dog's stomach and intestines - not in the mouth.