# BIG eater



## PawPatrol (Aug 17, 2020)

Hi,
I have a 12 week old and he is a PIG disguised as a vizsla. I started feeding him according to the amounts suggested on the box of food for his weight and as an "active/puppy". He inhales his food in about 20-30 seconds. I split his food into 3-4 servings per day. I'm giving him a half cup per feeding, so about 1.5 cups of the food each day. 

He eats EVERYTHING. Food, bark, sticks, grass, moss, bugs, toys, literally anything he can fit in his mouth ends up ingested. Aside from my freaking out and constantly worried he is going to kill himself, I am wondering if I can feed him too much. I read that bigger dogs shouldn't grow too fast, which I did not know before.

So, in addition to the 1.5 cups of food, I am supplementing with rice and chicken to basically double the amount of food to about 3 cups total for the day. On top of that, I made chicken stock popsicles (about 1/4 cup) and give him that between lunch and dinner. I also use plain chicken for training. 

He still wolfs down every bit and acts hungry all the time! Could I increase his food even more? I'm tempted to give him more until he fattens up a bit (his hips and ribs are still very visible). His vet didn't say he was too thin, but he seems kind of thin to me. Any thoughts about overfeeding would be appreciated. Thanks!


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## MooseMan (Jul 10, 2020)

Hey PawPatrol!
We have a 7 month old male and we were probably feeding about 1.5 cups in 3 small meals a day, so 1/2 every meal, along with training treats when we was that age. Our dog also inhaled his food so fast he choked a few times, so we feed him in one of those slow eating bowls and it seemed to help ALOT! They also say its better for their digestion to eat slower. So I would recommend that. We also always went by what his poop was like. If it was runny we would cut back on his food because we knew we upped it too much, but if it's firm and normal we knew were we good with how much we gave him. 
He also ate everything outside that wasn't food, like yours as well. He actually was in the emergency room twice and had to have abdominal surgery for an obstruction because he would eat these little hard round balls that would fall off our trees. So be careful of what he ingests. Ours wears a face covering, called Outfox, so he can't eat things when he's outside. All the doctors recommend it since he was in the ER twice already for it! This is our first V, but these are just the things we've been through and worked for us!  Good luck!


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## PawPatrol (Aug 17, 2020)

Hi MooseMan,
Interesting, I had never heard of the Outfox before. Fortunately, our pup is finally winding down his bark eating. I found out he was getting into the grape vines. Then I really freaked out. I realized it when I started seeing grapes in his poop. Fortunately, he didn't have any bad reactions and I was able to cut them all back. Family and friends all got a few pounds of grapes! 

I think maybe the increased meals is helping a little with the eating of non-food stuff. The slow feeder sounds like a good idea. Do you remember what your make/model is?


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## MooseMan (Jul 10, 2020)

We just got it off amazon..type in "slow eating dog bowl" and there are all types, sizes and designs to choose from. Just make sure its the right size for his tongue and nose to fit into so he can still eat around the design!


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## MooseMan (Jul 10, 2020)

Or maybe we got it from Chewy actually, either way there are a ton of them out there. I think we had to get the size "small" because we ordered one that was too big first and he couldn't really eat around the plastic design when he was still young.


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## JKOMBU (Jul 18, 2016)

Hi piggy disguised as a V (I don't meant the human !!!). My dog Ruger, a V was exactly the same way as a pup. It was summer when I brought him home so there was lot of stuff to eat outside-Yum mulch, pebbles, sticks, plastic bottles, poop you name it!! He is my first pet dog so I was always freaking out about the things he ate. I made sure that he did not eat anything large or sharp or anything that would harm him. He outgrew all that. He also ate fast and still does. He is now 4.. He also is thin and his ribs show somewhat, but he weighs 57 pounds. I feed him 3 times per day and treats. I feed him Bil-Jac brand food which is highly digestible for him. He does not choke when he chows it down at record speed even with the slow feeder! He can eat it all and then go out and run around without any problems.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

It's fine for a pup to show some rib, but hip bones should have some covering..
I would go with a slow feeder, or even feed on a cookie sheet to slow him down. 
Growing puppies need more food than you would think. I would up the food, split between multiple meals.
Would love to see some pictures of a him, and could get a better idea on his weight.


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## Marty (Jul 21, 2014)

PawPatrol said:


> Hi,
> I have a 12 week old and he is a PIG disguised as a vizsla. I started feeding him according to the amounts suggested on the box of food for his weight and as an "active/puppy". He inhales his food in about 20-30 seconds. I split his food into 3-4 servings per day. I'm giving him a half cup per feeding, so about 1.5 cups of the food each day.
> 
> He eats EVERYTHING. Food, bark, sticks, grass, moss, bugs, toys, literally anything he can fit in his mouth ends up ingested. Aside from my freaking out and constantly worried he is going to kill himself, I am wondering if I can feed him too much. I read that bigger dogs shouldn't grow too fast, which I did not know before.
> ...


We have a 7 year old vizsla and he has done this since he's been a puppy. I'm not sure if it's the breed of the dog or what but it can be very frustrating because he think he is still hungry the way he devours his food. He eats his food so fast that he has a hard time swallowing it. Now he has this swallowing disorder that can be very disgusting to watch and hear. We even took him to a vet and they could not find nothing wrong...

But back to your little guy. I pretty sure you will not be able to correct this. I've been told some dogs do this and some don't.


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## bb93444 (Jun 28, 2018)

PawPatrol said:


> Hi,
> I have a 12 week old and he is a PIG disguised as a vizsla. I started feeding him according to the amounts suggested on the box of food for his weight and as an "active/puppy". He inhales his food in about 20-30 seconds. I split his food into 3-4 servings per day. I'm giving him a half cup per feeding, so about 1.5 cups of the food each day.
> 
> He eats EVERYTHING. Food, bark, sticks, grass, moss, bugs, toys, literally anything he can fit in his mouth ends up ingested. Aside from my freaking out and constantly worried he is going to kill himself, I am wondering if I can feed him too much. I read that bigger dogs shouldn't grow too fast, which I did not know before.
> ...


Search and pick up a "dog maze bowl', it will slow down his eating 10 fold. We got ours at Petco...


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

There are 3 issues here: speed of eating, amount of food, and foreign object eating.

The amount of food is easy: how does he look? If he's too skinny, feed him more. Never mind what recommendations you read. Each dog is unique and recommendations are only a starting point.

The speed of eating isn't really an issue unless there are specific consequences e.g., choking. It might not seem right to you, but bolting food is an adaptation that wolves picked up. I.e., it's natural.

The foreign object eating is an issue. Maybe more food will stop it, probably not. Maybe he'll grow out of it, but until then you should do something about it. No experience on my part, but the Outfox sounds good.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Bob
I like the outfoxed for a dog that truly has a compulsive eating behavioral problem. 
I don't like them for puppies. Every Vizsla puppy I have owned tries to chew, sometimes eat just about everything they can get their mouth on. If you just muzzel, or mask them, they are missing out on the training opportunities to correct the problem.
Once the mask comes off, they still have the problem. I would rather use a checkcord, and teach what is good, and what is off limits. I would only use the mask, if all else fails.


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

Red - Experience trumps opinion every time.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Bob Engelhardt said:


> Red - Experience trumps opinion every time.


Someone may have a totally different experience than mine, or found a better way by following a opinion.

I think we all learn some thing new everyday. I'm thinking I'm overdue, its time to try a new training class with one of the dogs. Or maybe go to a training clinic.


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