Ok, just been reading a few posts and think I might be doing it wrong. For 2 years Ive fed my staffie before walking him and walking him as soon as hes eaten. Should I be walking him before feeding instead?? Will he not want to go poo again after eating? Also, is 2 meals a day better than 1 for him? Thanks.

It is best to walk before eating but he must not eat as soon as you come back give it an hour and then feed. if you want to walk after he has eaten again give him an hour or two after eating, and yes two meals aday.

I have heard dogs can get a stitch if they walk soon after eating ??
I tend to leave my Staffys feed til after we get back from his walk .
Lel

Exercise soon after eating is believed to be one of the causes of bloat - it is more natural to hunt for food (exercise), eat it and then sleep :)

Christine

Thanks everyone, Ill swap it around then :)
Was just thinking, he had an upset stomach a few weeks ago, actually has had one on a few occassions, could this be due to the fact I was feeding before walking?? I cant really explain it otherwise, he is on dry complete food, was on jollyes own original brand (very cheap food at £6 for 15kg, he liked it though) but have recently changed him onto chappies complete original as I heard it was the easiest to digest (have noticed that his poos seem a tad 'softer' and break up when they are picked up, with a bag of course)
Has anyone had any experience with jollyes own brand of complete food?? Thanks.

You will find by feeding a better quality dog food not only will the condition of your dog improve but you will have reduced number of stools per day and they will be firm.Go for food that is soya,wheat,beef and dairy products free.The food I use costs £29.99 per bag before you fall of your chair a staffie would only need 7 oz a day this means 1 bag would last 75 days.I also starve my dogs 1 day a week this rests the dogs digestive tract and is quite natural.Only feed your dog once a day and stick to the feeding guide lines do not give scraps or treats and you will be amazed at the difference this will make to your dog.

i cant agree with the 1 meal per day,for dogs, eating is one of their lifes greatest pleasures,why take that from them??dogs fed 1 meal per day must be hungry all the time.i agree with feeding a much better quality food,it works out cheaper in the long run coz premium foods are much more dense,whereas cheaper foods are primaraly made from fillers and grains which go straight thru your pooch as their bodies dont have much need for them.

christine

Dogs unlike us do not eat for pleasure they eat for energy pure and simple

You never met my late bitch then :D
Lara x

Feeding only once a day has been implicated in many cases of bloat, so in many breeds this would be potentially fatal advice.
:)

Would agree, I think feeding twice a day is better and think as long as you leave a gap between eating and walking I don't think it matters which way round it is. In the morning I feed first and then walk about 1 1/2 to 2 hours latter and in the afternoon I walk first and feed latter. Only change that if it is to hot to walk in the late afternoon.

The breeds you refer to are the large breeds such as Danes and would not apply to the breed in question.

any breed can get bloat.

Well if i fed my dogs only once aday i would end up with bloat all ways feed twice aday.

Bloat is due to over eating so I can see your point of two meals a day but as i said with this particular brand of food I use, you should only feed small amounts anyway, 7oz is in no way a large meal and should be fed in one sitting.

No pib - there are many theories of causes of bloat and none are proven.
Lara x

I`ve had 2 dogs suffer from this. One was a 3+half mth pup who was just got over parvo & the other a 6yr 3mth adult Labrador. Now I don`t ever exercise before or after feeding but my dogs tend to play between themselves for few mins after feeding & then settle down. There doesn`t seem to be any explantation for bloat & a lot of theories & I`ve been reading lately about stress being a factor. That makes sense to me as I`d say both dogs were under stress at the time it happened to them. Only thing I can say is make sure you know the sigsn of it & get to vet straight away if you suspect it. I`ve been luckky both times, well my dogs have :)

Christine, Spain.

Bloat can happen to dogs we would consider small, don't think it is only the giant breeds. It takes no extra effort to make sure the dogs is not fed and exercised too close together and to divide the food into 2 meals.

Oh! and don't try telling my dogs they don't enjoy their food, can't understand how anyone who has owned dogs could think they didn't.

You are confusing the need to eat with enjoyment.If dogs enjoy food in the same way as we do they would soon get bored of having the same food day in day out well they don't do they.You could feed your dogs steak and chips on Monday but given the chance they will eat rubbish from a bin the next day, in a dogs mind he needs to eat to survive not for enjoyment!

Thanks everyone :)
So if I buy a better quality food, then they will need to eat less of it?? Think I will go with 2 feeds a day as I do notice that sometimes the male does look a bit bloated out after eating a large meal.
Can anyone suggest a good complete food, that will reduce the amount of poos? preferably available at jollyes :) Thanks again.

Both Arden Grange Classic and Autarky are available at Jollyes, as are many other Premium brands.

The best way of knowing which is a premium food, is that meat should appear as the first or second ingredient, preferabley as a percentage to guid you. Some foods have as littel as 10 - 15% actiual meat content. Surprisingly some of the very dear ones so not have much more. Autarky Adult has 28% chicken, and the Arden Grange classic has at least 25%. I think Proplan adult is 22% neat.

Sorry Pib but I KNOW that Murph enjoys his food! If he ate simply for energy, he would eat anything that I put in his bowl......try putting raw fish in there - he won't touch it, no matter how long it's in there - i've tried it!:)
I think dogs do get bored with the same food day in and day out - sure, they'll eat it but only 'cos they have to.
There are also some foods that Murph will drool for - others he'll eat but not with the same enjoyment. They are inteligent creatures and I'm sure have likes and dislikes...Muprh does!

TTFN

ruth

Sorry but its the old human emotion taking over again

If dogs only eat for energy, they wouldn't refuse certain foods, no matter how good or expensive! Many medium and large breeds can suffer from bloat, it's not only giant breeds.
:)

Dogs would only refuse food for a time then the overiding desire to survive takes over, your dogs may refuse to eat certain foods you put infront of them because they are already well fed and know that they will be fed even if they refuse a certain meal.For dogs to enjoy food to the extent that some have said they must have an understanding and appreciation of taste then how come my dogs just love cow muck!

Apparently they eat muck because their diet is otherwise lacking in elements ....

There have been many threads on this site about dogs vomiting first thing in the morning because their stomachs are empty apart from bile. To let that state of affairs continue for another few hours would be, in my opinion, downright unkind, and putting a dog at risk of serious stomach problems. Little and often is the more natural way. Dogs will pick and scavenge when they can - they won't save it all for a feast once a day.
:)

Well I think that just proves what I was saying to be true, dogs eat to survive and that may mean eating muck or anything else for that matter.Quote "little and often is the more natural way" well in the wild a dog would kill and gorge as it may not kill again for several days, can't imagine it would have a nibble and return later for a nother nibble.

It all depends on the size of the prey! ;)

So would you suggest allowing your dog to gorge as much as it can, if you believe that is more natural?
:)

I allow my dogs one good meal a day, dogs are happy when their stomachs are full, I don't believe to small meals would have the same affect.After all some dog food manufacturers recommend to starve your dog one day a week and their in the business of selling as much as they can,so you think their wrong as well do you!?

Which dog food manufacturers are these Pib?
Lara x

Gosh Pib, that is a blast from the past, have not heard that one for at least 40 years.

Gosh Jackie, you must be older and wiser than I thought.

Many of us are, Pib!
;)

Not you as well!

'Fraid so!
;) :D

I feal you two gang up on me as it is. now I feal I have to call you Mrs Jackie H and Mrs Jeanie it's almost like a school mistress thing!

In your dreams, Mr P!
:D

check out Vetro Ltd their foods are excellent and they recommend to fast your dogs.

hmmm If dogs dont have likes and dislikes then why does Darcy go mental when she smells certain things. If you get a packet of crisps out the cupboard you have to eat them standing up because she's jumping all over you trying to get at them

if I got a cabbage out of the cupboard it wouldnt have the same effect

Yup - and my girls go NUTS for cheese, but could take or leave other stuff. They do enjoy their complete in the morning, but since we started feeding them raw in the evening they are WIRED!! You can't say they don't enjoy it. They will happily eat complete in the evening if we give it to them instead but not as excitedly as the raw.

No - the purpose of them eating is not for enjoyment, however they do have likes and dislikes.

Wendy

You could also try Quantum by Vetro Ltd if you phone 01782 271010 i'm sure they will tell you of your local stockist.

Or Burns or any number of good quality food. Would like to say that it is fine to ask the opinion of others and how they deal with their own dogs, but it is important to remember that you and your dog are individuals and what works for me may be different to what works for others. Sure you will be able to sort out the different ideas, and sometimes dictates, you will get to any advice you ask for, it will need you to pick & mix to suit you and your dog. Everyone has their own idea of what they require from the dog they own and all dogs are different, some respond to one thing and some to another, I am sure you will be able to sort the advice that will suit your situation and ignore what does not.

Hi
I own boxer dogs and was told by the breeder never to take them out after feeding because of bloat. I'm not sure if all dogs can suffer from bloat burt i know that dogs with deep chests are at risk.
Leave them for a few hours and then take him.
Also i always feed my dogs twice a day for the same reason as above.

Hi, just been to jollyes and I came back with Autarky, not bad price either, cheaper than a lot of other less quality food. Lets hope itll do the trick with the poos :)
Thanks.

Sure I don't need to say it, but change it over slowly.

All types and sizes of dog can get bloat (gastric torsion), although the deep chested dogs are more susceptible. Large feeds and exercising too soon before or after feeding are not the only causes either. Some dogs swallow air when they eat which can also cause bloat. Sometimes bloat can occur for none of these reasons and can appear totally spontaneous. This is rare though. The best preventitive is to feed good quality feed little and often, do not exercise heavily an hour before or after feeding, and if your dog is deep chested or a 'gulper' then feed from a raised stand or platform.

That have been some studies that have implicated raised feeding in bloat :-(

There is a link to it one at least one of the threads on this site - don't have time to search for it at the moment

Christine

The thread is from the 5th December last year and the majority of entries were in favour of raised feeding, especially for the large breeds and gulpers.
If there has been research I wouldn't mind seeing it - maybe someone can point me in the right direction?

hi
leave the food down all day and let them eat it when they want

shaunie