Like humans, species don’t enjoy their food and eat it slowly. Certain dogs eat as fast as possible, whether extremely hungry or otherwise. They have a stronger instinct than their love of flavors and textures, even when they aren’t at risk of losing their food to a different animal.
There aren’t any issues to be concerned about if your pet isn’t chewing its food. This means there’s a drinker in your tummy. Sometimes, this could cause digestion issues or be a sign of illness. There are, however, methods to slow down the rate at which your dog eats and boost its digestion.
Why Doesn’t My Dog Chew Their Food?
Though some dogs are known to chew food, the majority do not. It’s an instinct that dates back to when dogs lived in groups on the open field. Anything found must be devoured before it could be eaten by a dog, attracting excessive attention from other animals in the wild or being the catalyst for a war. The more quickly a dog finishes eating its portions of food and then moves on to the next, the more secure it is that it is not at risk of losing an opportunity to eat or getting injured.
The behavior may begin as early as when puppies are born in large litter, and puppies have to fight for a place on their mother’s body to nurse if there are more babies than the number of nipples. As puppies grow up and begin eating solids, they might keep fighting to get a seat at the bowl due to so many small mouths consuming the food laid out for the pups.
In this regard, your pet could not chew their food because of the environment. If there’s enough noise around their area, including machines, loud music, or children screaming, it could be like they’re under pressure and will gulp the food quickly. If you’ve got enough other pets or animals you have, they might also attempt to consume their food fast in anticipation of other pets gaining access to their food before they’ve eaten it all.
Dogs are built to consume food fast because it was an aspect of survival in the past. If your dog is always a fast eater and you frequently take them to the vet for checkups, you likely don’t have any issues you need to doubt about.
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When Should I Be Worried?
If your dog constantly chewed on their food but cannot chew that behavior, it could be a sign of something wrong there. If they aren’t chewing on their food, it could be just one of the different signs.
Dental Disease
Animals who have stopped eating their food, no matter if it’s hard or soft, as well as having poor breath, tartar on their teeth, as well as other indications of tooth decay, may have begun swallowing their food in whole pieces since their mouths are sensitive to chew food.
Injury
A different reason may be caused by a cut or a nick inside your dog’s mouth due to chewing something sharp, such as a stone or bone. Dental fractures can also occur due to chewing on such objects. It would help if you took your dog to the veterinarian to examine the mouth to find out the cause and then to have it addressed to ease the pain or discomfort your pet may be experiencing.
Cancer
The mouth is where cancers can cause problems for dogs chewing on and swallowing. It is usually seen with age and older dogs. You could also see indications of vomiting, weight loss, or numbness around your mouth.
Parasites
It’s not unusual for dogs to develop internal parasites like roundworms. They live and feed on your pet’s digestive tract, eating away at the vitamins and nutrients that your dog absorbs from food. When this happens, it is possible that your dog will lose out on the essential nutrients they need and can eat a lot in a needful endeavor to fill up its stomach. But, they will not gain weight, even though they’re given a more significant amount of food than they usually do.
Poor-Quality Diet
As dogs want increasing amounts of food since parasites take nutritional value from their body and cause them to become deficient, this is also the case when it comes to diets that do not provide all your dog requires. An inadequate diet of nutrients will not satisfy your dog and can make them feel full, leading to an animal that consumes their food instead of chewing on it.
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The Problem With Gulping Down Whole Food
Certain dogs are able to eat all of their food, and they’ll be fine. This method of eating could be detrimental to specific breeds and lead to upset stomachs because the food won’t be digested properly. It could result in your dog vomiting up food that they ate. But, in the case of some, this could be a way to trigger Bloat. This may result in gastric dilatation or volvulus or GDV, which is a disorder in which stomach muscles twist, and the pet requires lifesaving surgery to live.
Bloat is more frequent among larger breeds; however, even though the exact cause isn’t fully understood, there’s an increased chance of being present in dogs who consume food or down water. Additionally, other aspects could boost the possibility of developing it for dogs, including the age of their dogs, their weight, and others.
Bloat is a condition that occurs because dogs’ stomachs are stretched due to the vast quantity of gas or food consumed from drinking or eating too fast. The result is a pain in the stomach of a dog. When the stomach is twisted, and the blood flow is cut off, the stomach will flow. This could cause damage to the stomach wall. Animals suffering from GDV suffer from shock because they do not have sufficient blood flowing to the heart. The disease can cause as much as causing damage to the spleen as well as other vital organs due to being shocked. The condition can quickly become deadly if not detected and taken care of.
In addition to abdominal discomfort, dogs with Bloat can also be prone to dry heaving, pacing through the house, protecting their stomachs, panting, sweating, showing white gums, an enlarged stomach, and a fast heartbeat. If treated promptly, the dog will recover in a few days.
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Ways to Encourage Chewing
If your dog appears to look like they’re always hungry and needs to eat or urry every bite of food or has suddenly not chewed as much and is no longer chewing, the perfect option is to take them to a vet for a physical exam and oral exam.
A vet is capable of treating your dog for parasites. He will provide pet food using high-quality components that will benefit your pet. If you notice something hindering your pet from chewing their food, the vet can pinpoint the cause and offer them the appropriate care to reduce the discomfort and pain.
If your dog is a fast eater, be careful not to feed them massive amounts of food since you’re trying to keep them overheating. Also, you can provide them with less food often. Avoid vigorous activity immediately following a meal. The steps above will decrease your dog’s chance of becoming bloated.
Your dog can be slowed down in feeding by placing large balls or other items that are too large for them to consume in their bowls and forcing them to attempt to put the food between or under the items, which makes it hard to eat everything they eat in one or two licks. There are also options to buy the slow-feeding bowl, snuffle mat, or puzzle feeder that can do the exact job. Also, you can place the dog’s food into a toy that dispenses food, such that while your pet is playing with the toy, it will eat the food that has been dropped out.
Certain types of kibble have more calories than others, so purchasing a giant biscuit can make your dog chew more. When changing your pet’s diet, It is perfect to start slowly so that you don’t cause upset stomachs.
If you notice that your pet is eating their fast food due to stress from loud sounds or animals looking to rob their food, have them eat in a room with a quieter environment that is close to other animals.
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Conclusion
Any change in how your dog eats ought to be checked out; however, if their veterinarian has granted them a good report of health, you can use methods to reduce your dog’s appetite and feed them smaller portions often and ensure that they are safe eating. Slower eating is healthier for digestion and lowers their chance of becoming bloated.
