My dog swallows treats whole. How do I get her to chew them properly?

Dogs don't have a preference, but you should! By that I mean you should give Chloe treats she needs to chew in several bites. If she swallows one whole that's smaller, it could cause some problems. Better for her to chew them up.

If Bruno is swallowing his treats rather than chewing them, you may want to consider offering something a little smaller and more easily digestible. I advise this in an attempt to make Bruno avoid swallowing something that is too large to pass through the GI tract. When this happens and something is unable to pass through the stomach, objects sometimes require surgical removal. Even worse is when an object can pass through the stomach but gets caught within the intestines. There is nothing wrong with offering treats to Bruno. But as I said, reduce the size and toughness for the time being until he gets a little bit older.

Not sure why he is choking, but a physical examination and oral exam by your vet may reveal some abnormalities and answers as to why this is happening. However if he is not choking while eating his dry kibble food, then I wouldn't be too concerned about an abnormality being present. I would just recommend that you refrain from continuing to give him the treats that he chokes on. Some pets are just too aggressive with some treats, such as raw hide bones, and instead of chewing them thoroughly, they swallow them whole resulting in choking behavior. The solution to this problem is to not give them certain types of treats that give them problems.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Haley. This can be a problem with dogs, and there are a few things you can do about it. You can buy a dog food that has tiny bites, such as Hill's Science Diet Small Bites adult dog food. You can soak her food in water before giving it to her, making it mushy and easier for her to swallow in one bite. Finally, you could considered breaking down the kibble yourself, but that's a lot of work. I'd think about trying the two things I suggested above. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is important to avoid this as much as possible as this can predispose dogs to things like aspiration pneumonia for example. One thing that has worked for me great in the past for patients that do not eat more slowly with the slow feeder is actually throwing the kibble in a small room like the bathroom for example so that they end up spread out in the room as that will force Millie to eat more slowly as it will take her longer to find them to eat it. While it sounds messy, this has actually worked very well for some of my patients. Good luck and have a great day!

If Stella is eating her treats too fast, that could be causing the choking. Try giving her treats in smaller pieces, not giving her another piece until she ate the previous piece. Keep an eye on her for now with this behavior, and offer her some water. Her throat may be irritated from choking. If this behavior continues or she starts having trouble breathing, have her seen by a vet immediately. Best of luck.

Hi there! It is possible that she choke up on the treat just because it was too big or just because she ate it too fast. To be sure, it is always best to feed them treats that are not too big for their size as choking is always possible. I would ensure that they are small enough for her. I am sure you take great care of her and she will be just fine. This happens more commonly than you'd think. Have a good one! Best of luck with Precious!