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The Dangers Of Pets Eating Too Quickly

By Jon Harwokey

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Published: 20Sep2010
Word count: 428
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When it comes to the health of our pets, all too often people don't realize that, in a lot of respects, they are a lot like children. As they grow, the are more and more capable of taking care of themselves, but when they are little, especially in the first couple of years of life, we have to be very cognizant of what they do and how they do it. This level of attention applies not just to the pet toys they play with but most especially to their food and eating habits as the patterns they develop early will last them their entire lives.

As a baby, each animal has its feeding habits controlled by its mother. She will only allow it to suckle as much as she feels it needs in order to be healthy. However, as they wean away, they begin to control their own feeding habits, and this becomes even truer when they change over to solid foods and chew treats. Whether the habits get formed because of competition issues or because of hunger issues isn't relevant. What is most important is that the animals not eat their food too quickly, as this can lead to all kinds of digestive issues later.

While most cats aren't terribly prone to gulping their food, dogs can be especially voracious at times. The problem with this type of eating style presents several issues. First, because the pet is eating so fast, they don't realize just exactly how much food they are eating and will eat more than their body is comfortable with. Just like with humans, this can lead to physical discomfort and indigestion, and in extreme cases, even regurgitation. This means that for all the food consumed, the nutritional value is wasted.

Another issue is obesity. Because rapid eating generally leads to overeating, more food is introduced into the pets system than can be processed by normal exercise. And because of the physical discomfort and indigestion that can result from eating too fast, the animal doesn't feel like "normal exercise" anyway. This leads to a sedentary life style, which coupled with the bad eating habits results in an overweight pet.

So between the weight issues, the indigestion and physical discomfort, these issue alone should give us as pet owners enough reasons to monitor our pets eating habits closely and work to modify them. Not only do we want our pets to be fed properly, but we want them to enjoy their food and to be a happy pet because of it.

As a pet owner, Jon Harwokey is always on the hunt for entertaining dog toys and treats. Squeaky, bouncy, hairy, it doesn't matter as long as it is durable. Kong chew toys are among some of the best toys for dogs and cats on the market. Nearly indestructible for strong jaws and interactive to keep them busy, a perfect combination.

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