imported_Lina Posted November 22, 2003 Share Posted November 22, 2003 Is it necessary or no, maybe it's unhealthy? Are you feeding from the stand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malamum Posted November 22, 2003 Share Posted November 22, 2003 I am not at present but I have seen them and have thought about it. However I am still undecided on whether it is necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 If you go to the "health links" page on my kids website you'll find a link under "Bloat" for the Purdue study that included raised feeding dishes. They concluded that raising the dish increased the risk of bloat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarFox Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 WHAT?! Raising the food dishes actually INCREASES the risk of bloat?! I thought it was the exact opposite. I'm so confused now. :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogPaddle Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 I have a wire stand, I got it when we were fostering Tyr because he seemed uncomfortable with the dish on the floor. We've kept using it because Zaphod seems to favour it a bit. Kavik seems to favour the bowl on the floor. Zaphod is taller than Kavik, so that is probably the explanation. I have also heard conflicting opinions on bloat and stands - some for, some against. I feed to meals a day so they are smaller and feed a high quality kibble or a homemade diet (people food) to avoid bloat from ingredients they don't digest correctly. I have never thought of checking to see if the food bloats up when wet or goes spongey, I think I'll do that now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy B Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 [quote name='StarFox']WHAT?! Raising the food dishes actually INCREASES the risk of bloat?! I thought it was the exact opposite. I'm so confused now. :-?[/quote] For about the past 10 years or so Purdue University has conducted many bloat studies. I think the recomendation of raising food bowls was originally based on one of their early studies. On the Purdue website I referred you to, they do not cover the entire study but, they do mention in the "non-dietary risk factor" link that raising food bowls definately had a correlation with a higher incidence of bloat in their study. I've read the entire paper. (Hard copy or I'd share it.) I used to feed raised but, after I read the paper I tossed my stands. No one really knows why dogs bloat. The precautions that K mentioned are ones that most folks who worry about bloat take. Unfortunately, that latest Purdue study pretty much says that those precautions don't really have an affect at all. My feeling is that they sure don't hurt so, I too observe them. I think that there are a few major things to keep in mind with regard to bloat. First is your dog's body type....a very deep chested and tucked up waist body type is most likely to bloat. (IOW, Dobes are prime candidates and that's why I've read all I can about it.) Second is genetic...it's been proven that dogs who have close relatives who have bloated are much more likely to bloat than dogs who do not. No one knows why but, because of that, more and more breeders are eliminating dogs who have bloated or had a close relative bloat from their breeding programs. Third is to LEARN THE SYMPTOMS and be ready to RUN to the vet when you suspect bloat. Time is crucial with regard to bloat....a relatively short time can mean the difference between life and death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annushka Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 I've seen these stands at the shop, but they're so expensive here... :oops: I've heard that these stands are good because the pose of the dog is more natural. Is it right? There are no stands in the forest with wild wolves. :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarFox Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 Thanks Nancy, I read the info on the web-site. The main reasons I feed zebra from raised bowls is because he seems to gulp air when the bowls are on the floor and he burps allot after that, since we got the stand he rarely if ever burps. And just like K I don't let zebra do much of anything after he eats, i let him rest and let the food settle. Plus I don't know how good it is for him if he leans so far down to get his food, with his bad hips and all. Hmm I'm going to ask our surgeon next time we go about Bloat and see what he says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malamum Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 I'm actually a little stricter on the exercise and eating. I wait for about 3 hours after Indy has eaten before he does any exercise. However after we have gone for his walk of an evening I wait about an hour to feed him. If I waited any longer it would be almost midnight before he got dinner - he gets it at about 9.00pm as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annushka Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 I do the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicat613 Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 raised feeders do not increase the likelihood of bloat ------ bloat incidents are higher with dogs using raised feeders. This is not to say that raised feeders cause bloat, but that bloat happens more often in dogs who are fed this way...why? Not because of the feeder, but because more bloat prone dogs are fed this way. Does that make sense? I don't really feel that raised feeders are a great factor in whether or not a dog bloats, but I will always use them simply for the comfort factor. Would you like to have to practically kneel to eat your food? You don't have to buy them....the ones in the stores are mostly overpriced and often flimsy, from what I've seen. My dog just eats off of a big Rubbermaid bin that I bought for $5 at Target. I know others that have made their own, use plant stands, crates, or even kitchen drawers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 i have an alternative link for those of you who are interested in a breeder's opinion about the purdue study. [url]http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/on_my_soap_box_purdue_bloat_study.htm[/url] i am with linda arndt on this subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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