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Post by bobbenson on Jul 23, 2007 13:57:52 GMT -5
My now 11 mo Boxer gorges himself when he eats, drinks a lot of water (I'm in Florida and its hot here), and then if gets excited and runs around within the next hour or two, he will throw up.
I think the problem is really that he overeats, when he eats, and so if he exercises at any point in time after eating he throws up. Its kind of like telling your kids not to swim for an hour after eating. Also, I think it has to do with the amount of water he drinks. Sometimes he doesn't drink much right after eating, but when he gets thirsty, he will all of a sudden want a ton of water.
I've tried feeding him smaller portions several times a day. That doesn't work. I don't want to restrict the amount of water he has. If I feed him just before bedtime, he does better. I only allow him to have a small amount of water before putting him in his cage for the night. He doesn't really ask for more food when I'm just feeding him once a day, but I wonder if once a day is enough.
As I recall, I had this same issue with my other boxers, but I had tile floors so it wasn't an issue. I have carpeting now.
Any opinions, suggestions? He's doing a pretty good job of staining a white carpet.
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Post by Brooke on Jul 30, 2007 18:44:41 GMT -5
Your puppers should only be getting a specific amount of food each day. Are you free feeding? (meaning he has food all day?) He's about to the point where you could start feeding him once a day.
My dog is a 50 lb lab and she only gets a soup can and a half of Canidae dry food each day. I usually feed her at night before bed so that she's not running around. Its really not the greatest for them to be running and excercizing much after eating. It greatly increases the chances of Bloat which is deadly to dogs.
We used to put a medium sized heavy rock in the middle of Peeka's bowl and it slowed her down while eating. She'd have to eat around it. Smaller portions more frequently isn't a bad idea but if you're wanting to get on a less maintenanced schedule I'd suggest feeding right around a time where you tend to settle down and there's less activity in the house.
You don't need to restrict water but I would limit it especially at the time he eats if he tends to drink and eat a lot at the same time. Dry food swells when it gets wet which also can increase the chances of bloat and is another reason you want to limit the amount of food he's getting per day.
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Post by bobbenson on Jul 30, 2007 22:38:07 GMT -5
Thanks Brooke,
My concern was that as a growing dog, he gets sufficient nutrition / food. Also, it's 90 plus and humid here every day of summer (May to October). If I'm running around outside, I want water. Same for my dog.
He's now 11 mo, but sure doesn't look even close to fully grown. I'm told that boxers grow until 3 yrs, I suspect mostly filling out after the first year. I know he is still growing because the collar I bought a month ago is now to small. It was on the last notch, but is to tight now.
He tends to tear around for the first hour in the morning, then sleeps for most of the day. I've been giving him a small amount of food once he calms down and then as much as he wants before bed. I limit water for an hour before bedtime, but do give him a small amount after eating.
I certainly wasn't aware of the bloating issue. Thanks!
I guess my only concern is that if I start just feeding him at bedtime, will he get enough food while he is still growing.
Thanks again. I really appreciate your help.
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