Raised feeding bowl.

[Lynda Harp]

Should I raise up his bowl so he has an easier time eating? I am reading that having a raised feeding bowl can cause bloat... I am scared this will happen. There are so many mixed reviews on this subject  just wondering what other IS owners do. Thanks!!

[Torie Lancaster]

Where can we read this about this 'actual scientific research'  that conclusively showed that raised feeders are harmful please?

[Cornelia]

Thanks for putting this up again, Tracy!

[Cornelia]

Here's the link to the old discussion:

http://irishsetters.ning.com/forum/topics/what-are-your-experiences...

On page four is a PDF posted by Cheryl to download - it's the Perdue study mentioned by Tracy. There are many other links on this discussion for further reading.

And Susan's link further up on this page also mentions the same scientific finds by Dr. Glickman - just scroll down and read. I hope you find what you're looking for.

[Philip Hall]

Another bit of light reading. Some will agree with every word, others will say it's all wrong......that's what I love about this site....great debates

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=672

[Cornelia]

Thanks, Philip! Very helpful!

[Torie Lancaster]

Many thanks to Tracy, Cornelia and Philip for your valuable input.  

Makes very interesting reading and I will not be raising my dogs bowls any more but will continue to feed them in the 'down position', I find they chew their food and eat slower rather than just swallow it when lying down, so maybe this is a good alternative.

[Garrech and Canagan]

We have had experiences feeding our dogs both with a raised bowl and with it left on the floor. General opinion suggested that if a dog was eating quickly it would be more prone to swallowing air as it gulped the food from the bowl on the floor hence the suggestion to raise the bowl but it is the gas and the amount of it produced during digestion etc which is the problem if the dog can't get rid of it. The Glickman report, already well discussed and presented by Tracy, does statistically suggest that the raised bowl hightened the risk of bloat. But Canagan could bloat irrespective of where we placed the bowl! The report had lots of other useful and relevant data and the increase risk factor of a dog related to another already known to having bloat. It is sad that greater importance wasn't given to the report by everyone.

But I agree with Eva that it is what is in the bowl that counts more so than the height the bowl is placed And as Sue suggests the raised bowl racks are a pain and possibly more of a health and safety risk to the owner when not in use!

I reckon temperament and digestive issues contribute more to the problem of bloating and resulting GDV so I would concentrate on diet first and bowl height second.

[Garrech and Canagan]

I couldn't agree more with you that trying to control all the factors is extremely important. I relate stress which is the ultra mega important influence with the temperament and the dogs ability to deal with stressful situations (that is their perception of stress and not ours as owners)

Again if someone as knowledgeable as Glickman states raised bowls are a problem then that's a factor everyone should acknowledge. As you agree they can bloat regardless. But it seems there are two schools of thought and all depends on who you speak to. We were told by a vet to feed Canagan using a raised bowl. Let alone the postioning the bowl we fed him by hand (several times a day) and it still made zero difference.

I agree with you that raised bowls are a no no. Apart from any other influence it isn't a natural feeding postion for a dog. But it is a confusing situation with all the different reccomendations "experts" make. 

[eva ciechonska]

Peter I am assuming that you are agreeing with Eva rather than me because I have always accepted that raised feeders added to an increased risk of bloat.  Very confusing but then I suppose you would probably have said Eva C.

[Garrech and Canagan]

I now understand why it appears confusing as I now realise there are two Eva's contributing to this discussion! My apologies for that!

I was agreeing with Eva that what we feed is more important than necessarily the height of the bowl. But I totally agree with you that as all the statistics point to an increase in risk of Bloat when feeding using a raised bowl, raising the bowl isn't an acceptable practice. We always feed both dogs with the bowl on the floor. As I said previously it is the natural position for a dog to feed. An added bonus from the cat's point of view is that it makes his life easier as well by making the dog food more accessible!

I read your observations about feeding 50% moistened kibble with 50% meat with interest. As you know I've always thought feeding a dog with a complete kibble diet to be very undesirable. We also feed both dogs in a very similar manner to you. But probably with more of a 70-30 than 50-50 split of meat to kibble. Feeding a mixture helps by not only giving a more "wet" style of diet but using some kibble reduces the volume of food needed. We also feed twice a day as before although with Canagan we had to feed 4 times per day.

So more agreement with you than not!