OZZY'S EATING HABITS

[OZZY13849]

Maybe its just because he is a growing boy but Ozzy eats like he will never get to eat again! With previous chows that I have owned we could just leave food in their bowls and they would eat when they were hungry. Ozzy will scarf every bit of food and could drink a lake in one day! Not too big of a deal but the problem lies when he starts throwing it all up. He will get excited, get the zoomies, run in the kitchen slurp up some water then he starts hacking! I have tried a technique that I thought would work...when he gets fed I will let him eat a little bit then I try to distract him by calling him to me and petting him I also take him outside....to let him know the food will be there when he gets back. He'll come to me and enjoy the lovin for a minute or two then heads right back to the bowl. He even goes to the cat bowl to finish what Jimmy didnt eat. I just wonder if there is some kind of problem with the way he hacks and will ocasionally throw up.

[Coco Chow]

I have the same kind of problem with Coco who, after a meal, wants to play play play!
I don't allow it for her sake, but if my BF comes back from work after she just had dinner, she jumps and happy dances, and can throw it all up!
Same thing the other day after I put sardines with her regular food. She ate the all thing in like 30 sec, she *loved* it, and 3 mn later, everything in her stomack was on the floor... Of course, she likes to run to the cowhide, it's much more comfy to throw up on a rug you know.

[Auddymay]

Stomache torsion is a real concern here...aka- bloat. Give him no more than a half a cup at a time, and give him time to digest before giving more. I am probably telling you something you have already done, but you may wish to have a worm check done as well. A good thing to do, is measure out his daily rations, and dip a dry measuring cup in the ration, as needed. Good luck!

[gebower]

Some Chows seem to have nervous stomachs. I had a male Chow for 11 1/2 years and he was that way. When we went away for 4 days and left him with our daughter, when we came back he got so excited he threw up on their sidewalk. Now, I have another Chow, and he's a lot like my first. Picky about food, and it seems that they are just looking for a reason to throw up. This Chow I have now, when he was about 3 months old, I gave him a SMALL piece of Cheddar cheese after he had eaten his puppy meal and he threw up just the cheese. He was selective in the vomiting! Now, he can eat a piece of cheese with no problems. But, I am now thinking that a lot of Chows have nervous stomachs. Any input out there?

[mrstu]

I was thinking same thing Auddy -- try to limit what he is eating so that he is eating enough but not over eating and make sure that there is not a lot of exercise right after the eating. Stomach torsion is a very serious condition -- some of the signs of that happening include passing excessive gas and vomiting. This is a very emergent condition so if you suspect anything like that, please get to the nearest emergency vet as quickly as you can.

It really sounds like he is just overeating and you can control what he eats.

Keep us posted!

[OZZY13849]

I HAVE BEEN WATCHING HIM VERY CAREFULLY FOR FEAR OF BLOAT AND EVERYTHING I HAVE HEARD ABOUT IT! IM PRETTY SURE IT IS JUST A NERVOUS STOMACH. HE GETS TOO EXCITED SOMETIMES THATS WHEN THE HACKING STARTS AND YOUR RIGHT THE RUG OR CARPET IS WAY MORE COMFORTABLE FOR REVERSE PARASTAYLISIS!!! SMALLER PORTIONS WOULD PROBABLY HELP WE FEED HIM TWICE A DAY ONCE IN THE MORNING AND AT DINNER TIME. I AM ALWAYS AFRAID THAT WE ARE NOT FEEDING HIM ENOUGH.... HE IS ALWAYS HUNGRY AND I DONT WANT TO DEPRIVE HIM. I WILL FEED HIM SMALLER PORTIONS AND MAYBE FEED HIM A LITTLE BIT ON MY LUNCH HOUR. THANKS FOR THE GREAT ADVICE!!!

[Auddymay]

I understand your concern, that is why I suggested first measuring out his daily portion, and then giving the half cup out of that until it is gone. That way, you don't end up over-feeding, nor under-feeding by losing track of how many portions you have given.