My Dog Eats Too Fast & Throws Up

Every dog has its quirks – for many of them, it’s attacking their food as if they haven’t eaten for a week, only to throw it up seconds later.

Dogs may eat fast if they have to compete with companions. There can be something lodged in the throat that is stopping the food from reaching the stomach. Or sometimes, they just love the taste of the food![/box]

Let’s take a look at why so many dogs are interested in eating fast, and what we can do to make them nibble instead.

Table of Contents:

Why does my dog eat like he’s starving?

There can be many reasons why dogs attack food like they have been hungry forever, even when they made you give kibble seconds ago with their cute puppy eyes.

While most reasons remain psychological, some of them can be health concerning too.

Let’s look at them:

Dogs’ close wild relatives, wolves, are known to have a “feast-famine” diet. Your dog may instinctively think that it has to eat everything as fast as it can before you take the food away, or stop giving anymore.
If they had littermates while growing up, your dog may have had to eat fast before his brothers and sisters could steal the food. Even as an adult, this competitive nature can happen with housemates.
The food may not be digesting due to blockage in the throat, so the dog feels hungry all the time. It is better to get a health checkup for your dog if this persists for a longer time.
They just love the taste of the food. We have been guilty of eating chocolate cookies too fast too!

My dog is eating too fast and not chewing

It’s as if he is inhaling his food, right? Eating too fast and not chewing can cause many problems for your furry friend.

Here’s a brief list of why that might happen:

With years of evolution, the dog’s throat has been built to swallow the food as a whole, and now he doesn’t know any better.
This behavior can also be due to environmental factors. If you have several dogs, your pooch may fear it has to fight for food and will eat fast.
Sometimes using a glass or metal bowl to feed your dog that allows for the dog’s tags to clank on it or loud movements in the background can frighten your dog into eating faster.

How to stop a dog from eating too fast

Good news: it’s much easier to stop a dog from eating too fast than to make the dog eat. Healthy Pets have listed out some impressive tricks on how to slow down your dog’s dinnertime roll.

Here’s what you can do:

Making it physically impossible. There are many slow feeders available on the market. They make it impossible for the dog to gulp down the food in seconds.
Using puzzle feeders. This is an excellent way to stop a dog from eating too fast and provide mental stimulation while they work their way through the food. Be aware, this can get loud if your dog loves playing with toys!
Spread food on the cookie sheet. By spreading the food on the cookie sheet, the dog will be forced to move around for food: so lots of moving, less gulping.
Putting big items in the bowl. Sometimes our dog has those favorite bowls that they just love to eat from. You can introduce items like a tennis ball, a smaller bowl, or anything big enough that he can’t swallow. Be sure to clean them first!
Hand-feeding your dog. If you love looking at them wagging their tail while you offer them treats, you can start hand-feeding the meals too. This will also give them more time with their favorite companion.

My dog throws up immediately after eating

It is overwhelming when our dogs throw up and leave us wondering about their health. Hills Pets explains why this may occur:

Dogs take in a lot of air while attacking their meals too fast. More often than not, it leads to them throwing up immediately.
A sudden change to new dog food can cause gastrointestinal issues and make them throw up.
It is the nature of dogs to explore. On their adventure, they might ingest something that causes them to vomit.

It’s best to take your dog to the vet if vomiting continues, it could be an infectious disease or something severe enough to require surgery like Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV).

If it seems like a one-time thing, be sure to hydrate your dog before his next adventure and keep an eye on him.

My dog is throwing up undigested food

When dogs throw up undigested food, it indicates something more serious. Dogs usually ingest something that they shouldn’t, and this can cause blockage in their system – stopping the regular passage of the food.

To know if it is a blockage or not, you can look for the following symptoms:

Diarrhoea
Lack of appetite
Stomach pain
Weight loss
Weakness

If you find your dog displays any of those symptoms, it is better to call the vet and get some scans taken.

While blockage may be the cause, it is necessary to know if your dog is vomiting or regurgitating. While both may look similar, knowing which is it can help you find the exact reason for it.

According to Canna-Pet, regurgitation usually happens right after eating the food, is much quieter and often comes without any warning. While vomiting happens by retching and usually is after some hours of eating the meal.

My puppy eats too fast and gets hiccups

Being a puppy in this world can be scary. Thoughts like, “When will I get my next treat?”, can be too much for the little guy.

So, Fido has to eat fast before somebody takes the food away. This causes the puppy to swallow air and get hiccups. To make sure the puppy eats slowly, you can use the tricks mentioned above.

Or, if the puppy has littermates, they could be competing for each other’s food, causing them to eat faster. You can give them food in different places so that they don’t feel anxiety or fear while having their meal.

A little chest massage can help when they get hiccups. It will loosen and relax the diaphragm muscles.

Conclusion: Why do dogs eat fast?

Dogs love to gobble down on their meals. We need to make sure they chew the food. Otherwise, it can have an impact on their health. Slowing your dog down using puzzle feeders can be a great way to make his meal fun.

Hopefully, it shouldn’t be long before your dog starts to savor his food, and makes for a better dining companion too!