I'm just posting a quick question as I'm a bit worried. Basically, I got a Staffie puppy two weeks ago now, he's 3 months old, and whenever I feed him his tummy gets really bloated and goes rock hard!!! Is this normal?!
(He eats really fast and tends to swallow his dry food without even chewing it :/ )
Thanks in advance!
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He’ll be exactly three months old in just a few days.
Yeah, since he’s been poorly and on antibiotics and all that, he hasn't really put on much weight, but he’s starting to get his spark back now.
His gut flora was completely wrecked because I switched his dry food too suddenly.
I pay about £19 for a 6.6lb bag.
So he weighs about 5.5lbs and the brand of dry food is Pro Plan Puppy.
I’ve tried the advice you gave me today; he’s just had his 3rd meal with one more to go this evening (I’m going to try feeding him 4 times a day). You can already see that his belly doesn't swell up like a balloon anymore – maybe a little bit after his bowl, but it's much better! 😋
He’s just been poorly; he’d lost some weight and was on antibiotics, so the little lad is definitely making up for it now! 😁
The bowl is brilliant! Thanks a lot for the link snowwhite.
No, it isn't a gastric torsion, as he would have died within a couple of hours without treatment.
As for the amount you mentioned, it doesn't really tell us much since we don't know the puppy's weight or the brand of food.
His tummy is swollen simply because he's eating too fast; three meals a day would definitely be better so he isn't as bloated and can learn to settle down at his food bowl.
I once had a dog that I rescued from a farm; she hadn't been looked after and was just skin and bone. For the first two or three weeks, she looked like she was going to burst because she was so starving and would just gorge herself. That's why I split her food into several smaller meals until she realised she didn't have to go hungry anymore and reached a healthy weight.
Thanks for your replies!
Yes, he’s wormed every month – he had Panacur last month!
Oh, I hadn't thought of that trick with putting an object in his bowl, that’s interesting!
He’s currently eating portions of about 0.13 lbs (60g) twice a day (morning and evening), so I’ll follow your advice and try feeding him 3 or 4 times a day.
I’ve heard of bloat before, but he’s been doing this since the very first day I got him, so I don’t think it’s that! 😁
He's eating too quickly and possibly far too much at once.
To help with the speed, if he's a bit of a greedy eater, you can use tricks like putting a large, hard object in his bowl so he has to pick out the dry food almost one by one (you can even buy special slow-feeder bowls for this).
As for the quantity, are you sure you're giving him the right amount? Could it be too much? How many meals a day is he having? If they aren't spread out enough, he might be starving and that's why he's bolting his food.
At this age, it should be 3 meals a day, or even 4 if he's a fast eater. He'll take in less food in one go, which puts less strain on his stomach. You can then move to 2 meals a day from 6 months onwards.
Just a heads up, puppies can also suffer from bloat (stomach torsion). It doesn't just happen to adults, so definitely make sure to manage the portions, how fast he eats, and his activity levels before and after mealtimes...
