Clearly something is wrong with Murphy!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

My Murphy can do one thing faster than any dog I have ever met and that is finish off his bowl of food in seconds! I have even gotten him the bowl with the bumps in it to slow him down being as I worried about bloat as he ate so fast. We call him Hoover and have timed him just for laughs as it is SO quick. It didn't seem like he even chewed or breathed.

However, this week I have noticed Bella finishing before him, (she's pretty quick too but he's usually done before her) and then standing around waiting for Murphy to finish. Hummm....the first day I thought this was odd, but didn't pay too much attention, and it was only a matter of 20-30 seconds. The next day it was longer and today I watched as Murphy slowly took a bite, moved his mouth out of the bowl and chewed, then slowly repeated this process. Very unusual! Minutes went by and for once he didn't look like a crazed hungry dog being threatened to have his food taken away any second like he always has.

Why the change? What's different? He has been getting less homecooked these past 2 months since our  son's two dogs were here\ and they don't get real food. Can he be bored with just kibble although I still add yogurt and veggies to it.   The son and 2 dogs moved out Sunday and this started on Monday?Maybe that's it? The amount is the same that he's been getting for months. 1 1/2 cups 2 x a day. Just switched from Fromm back to Candidae which I do on occasion, so nothing new there. Could it be he is more relaxed with 2 less dogs here?

But Bella is still here and he's always done it even when no other dogs were around. I don;t get it. I even checked inside his mouth to see if all their rough-housing has caused a loose tooth or injury to the inside of his mouth. Nothing.

Have any of you had your dog just slow down his eating pattern for no apparent reason? If he starts leaving food in his bowl I'll be really worried as that would be very odd for him.

 

 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Thanks April. I always feel reassured when you feel it's nothing. Just SO not like him and So sudden. It has to have had something to do with the other 2 leaving and him realizing Bella isn't any competition as she doesn;'t go near his bowl until he is done. Just stands by and watches now. Yes, It is a very good thing. Bob always hated this lumpy bowl and now says I can throw it away!

[Ginny Nightingale]

My fast eater is always a fast eater--I would also be worried--but I am not sure why he would do this--maybe as others have said, having just one dog there NOW feels like nothing and he can slow down. My puppy learned to eat really fast when he was raised with 4 brothers but there has been no change now that he has his own food in his locked crate--I am just not sure about this....

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Myla has slowed way down, we also had to buy 2 slow feed bowls. She looks up a bit now and chews and takes her time, it used to be a race and we'd get a big burp at the end-actually we still get a burp from Myla at the end-always! I really hope he's feeling ok, I just think that it's a sudden calm and maybe he is missing the dogs. Let us know how he is!!

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Thanks for letting me know that it is normal for them to slow down. Maybe the slow feed bowls make a difference after awhile? But it's been a year and nothings changed there except the other dogs being gone now. He used to race to his bowl too and this morning he just sauntered over to it like...."oh well, I guess I'll see what's for breakfast"

I think a little more homecooking will get him moving again, but I really do like that he is not such a pig anymore. It used to make me feel like I was starving him by the looks of how he devoured his meals.  I'm sure you know what I mean.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Did you call the vet?  I would have. but I am a worry wart mom too.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

No I din't call because he is eating, poops are normal, he is playful, no injury to mouth, I don;t know what they'd look for at this point. He ate well and heartily at dinner last night and it was all soft and homecooked. This morning for kibble he seems to have sped up a bit but it was still at a leisurely pase.  maybe this is his new normal.

SO he is either bored with his kibble and really wants more homecooking, or he is not so threatened by having only one dog here now that he's had 4 at a time. I will keep a watch on him though.

 

Bella on the other had threw up a baby wash cloth this morning in our bed, right on the pillow between DH and I.

 

SO it's  just a real circus here with things going in and things coming out!!!!  Who knew life would be so exciting!!!

[Adina P]

Rosco was a speed demon...then along came Boca who beat his record from the first day on.  Lately I think, not only is Boca faster than he ever was, but Rosco has actually SLOWN DOWN.  He acts just as famished and starts staring me down and following me 1 hr before meal time, but he's definitely not a speed demon eater anymore.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

We keep watching Murphy eat and he's beginning to stop eating and watch us watch him!  He must be thinking we are nuts. We never used to watch him this closely before when he ate. This just must be his new normal which is fine with me and I may even go back to a regular dog bowl. I will be doing some homecooking again soon so that may speed things up but certainly not my intention. I feel pretty confident he is okay after discussing it here and watching for any signs of his being sick for the past 5 days. I never would've believed it if someone told me that he would ever slow down, but he sure has. Oh well. These guys keep us on our toes. Thanks all for your input. I feel better now.