Is your Great Dane eating their food very quickly? This can lead to them vomiting all of their food right back up or cause them to develop other health issues like bloat.
Many times, there is no reason that your Great Dane is eating their food too fast, but eating too fast can cause your Great Dane to have an upset stomach. It is always best to teach your Great Dane to eat slowly to help keep them happy and healthy.
The most common reasons for a Great Dane eating extremely fast include competition for food, an irregular feeding schedule, poor nutrition, or an underlying medical condition. Many of these issues can be easily addressed to slow down fast eaters.
If your Great Dane continues to eat very fast even after making sure that your Great Dane’s diet is complete, it may be best to see your vet to make sure that there is not a medical issue causing your Great Dane to eat very fast.
Reasons Why Great Danes Eat Fast
If your Great Dane is eating very fast, it would be best for you to figure out exactly what is causing your Great Dane to eat fast.
These are some common reasons that your Great Dane eats so fast.
- Competition for food: If you have more than one dog, they may be competing for food. Even if you do not have a dog, some dogs will be worried about cats or even other people in the house taking their food away from them.
Try to feed your dogs in different rooms in the house and only let them back together once they have all finished eating. - Irregular feeding schedule: Some dogs will be afraid that they may not get their next meal. This is seen in dogs who spent time in a shelter or rescue group. These dogs may have been on their own and had to struggle to find food.
If you feed your Great Dane on an irregular schedule, they may eat fast when you feed them because they are worried about when they will be able to eat next. Try feeding your dog at a consistent time each day. - Poor nutrition: If your dog is not eating a proper diet, they may not be receiving the nutrients that they need to stay full. If your Great Dane is underfed or not fed an appropriate diet, they will eat very fast because they are hungry.
- Medical Condition: Your dog may have a medical condition making them very hungry and them to eat so fast.
Medical issues such as Cushing’s disease, hypothyroidism, or diabetes can make your Great Dane very hungry and eat anything they can get in their mouth. Also, dogs with parasites can make your dog very hungry.
Great Dane Issues From Eating Too Fast
While eating fast may not cause any issues for your Great Dane, there are some health issues to be on the lookout for in Great Danes who are eating their food very fast.
Bloat
If your Great Dane is eating too fast, it can cause them to intake air along with this food. This can cause them to develop a condition known as bloat or Gastric Dilatation and volvulus.
Bloat can be a serious life-threatening issue seen in large, deep-chested dogs.
Vomiting
If your Great Dane is eating very fast, they may vomit this food right back up. They may also do something gross and eat this food right back.
If they continue to vomit, they may be losing the proper nutrients that they are needed to stay healthy. Be on the lookout for these health issues in your Great Dane.
If you notice that your Great Dane is eating very fast and not acting normal, it would be best for your Great Dane to see your vet just to make sure that there is nothing wrong with them.
How to make my Great Dane slow down when they eat?
If your Great Dane is eating very fast, it would be best to try to slow them down.
These are a few ways that you can get your Great Dane to slow down when they are eating.
Busy bowls can help slow the pace of eating by up to 10 times! Their unique design forces your dog to extract their kibble instead of being able to woof it down quickly.
- Busy bowls: One of the quickest and easiest ways for you to get your Great Dane to slow down when they are eating is to get them a busy bowl. This bowl is like a maze that they have to work around to get to their food.
If you do not have a busy bowl, you can spread their food out on the floor. Having to walk around and pick up all the pieces of food will slow them down. However, you’ll be much better off getting a busy bowl as this keeps it elevated for your Great Dane. - Feed small frequent meals: If you are only feeding your Great Dane once a day, try increasing to feeding two to three times a day.
Small frequent meals give your Great Dane less food to eat at each feeding and will help slow them down. This also helps them realize that their next meal is coming in just a few hours. - Food timer bowls: If you are not at home much, you can use food bowl timers. These bowls will release a small amount of food after a specific period of time.
This can help make sure that your dog is fed on a strict schedule and fed many small meals throughout the day. - Food Puzzles: Giving your dog food in a dog puzzle is not only a great way to help slow your dog down when they are eating but also a great mental stimulation for your Great Dane.
Many of these are balls that you put your Great Dane’s food in that they have to roll around until a piece of food comes out. - Feed your dogs in different Rooms: If your dog is trying to eat their food really fast so they can eat your other dog’s food. Keep your dogs in separate areas of your house while they eat, and make sure that all food is put away once you let them back together.
- See your Vet: If your dog is still eating very fast, it may be time to see your vet. Your vet can check for underlying issues that would cause your Great Dane to eat really fast.
Once they have detected why your dog is eating so fast, they can tell you what you need to do so your Great Dane does not eat as fast.
Final Thoughts On Fast Eaters
If your Great Dane is eating very quickly, there may be a reason for this! You may not see any issues from your Great Dane eating their food really fast, but eventually, it will cause some issues.
If your Great Dane has just started eating really fast or seems really hungry when they are eating, it would be best for your vet to make sure that there are not any underlying medical issues.
During their young high-growth phase this can be challenging to deal with, but it’s important to keep an eye on their overall health.
You can easily start trying some of these tips and tricks to help slow your Great Dane down when eating. When your Great Dane is eating at a normal speed, they will be healthier and you will help prevent some major health issues.
Is an elevated bowl good or bad?
Your suggestion about spreading food out on the floor is not the best idea for Danes. Elevated feeding is usually recommended to avoid bloat.
We now have two great danes, Titan who is 6 and Maverick who is 5 months. Maverick had been using a slow feeder for two months now and it’s helped so much to slow him down. But Titan eats SO fast now, at his age could it hurt to get him a slow feeder too?
Not at all, go for it!
Cooling Jacket is a MUST!
We live in North Carolina with our 2 and 1/2 year old Odin who has a completely black coat! As we all know,summer heat is not good for this Northern European breed.
Walking early and late does not solve the problem enough though it can help. No dog parks for 3 months!! Daily walks are a must for Odin. My daughter is a professional dog trainer and told me to order a cooling jacket and that works wonders. You get it wet, toss it in the freezer for 20 minutes, and then wrestle your dog into it. 😀
Kind of putting a toddler in a snow suit. Carry a water bottle to squeeze more water under the suit to keep it saturated as you walk. These are easily available wherever you order your pet supplies.
Of course, try not to walk on hot asphalt!
This has really worked for Odin. Pray for fall!😂
I love the idea of the slow feeder bowl, but am concerned because most of them are made from plastic type materials. I’ve changed all our dog food bowls out to quality stainless steel that don’t allow particles to leak into their meals. The stainless steel slow feeders don’t work because they are simply a bowl turned upside down inside another bowl. These don’t slow my youngster down at all. Love the maze designs; wish they could make a quality one in stainless.
Would you recommend a slow feeder bowl that fits in an elevated stand? Our great dane puppy of 12weeks takes out the silicone insert and chaos ensues. We are trying to find a bowl that she wont just pull out (if possible). Thanks!