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Should I elevate my dog's food bowls to prevent bloat or is it risky?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

I have 3 dogs, so 3 dog food bowls. All 3 sit directly on the floor. I had someone tell me that I needed to elevate the bowls since I have a beagle, lab mix, and pit. Is elevating the food bowls better when they eat or does it matter?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Lotus Altholtz

Answered By Lotus Altholtz

Veterinarian, Board-Certified Lab Animal Medicine Specialist

Published on May 8th, 2019

Generally only dogs with a condition called megaesophagus where the food they eat gets trapped in the dilated esophagus and they vomit frequently after eating, and dogs with neck pain would benefit from elevated bowls. Some studies have shown that eating from raised bowls actually increases the amount of air dogs ingest when eating and increases the risk of bloat. I think the person who told you to raise the bowls was concerned re: bloat in your medium to large breed dogs. My best recommendation is that if your dogs eat very fast/scarf down their food, that definitely does predispose them to developing bloat which can be life threatening, and puzzle feeders available on Amazon for about $10-$15 that are bowls with ridges in them to slow down eating would be more beneficial than raising the bowls. Good luck!
Vote Icon1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 14th, 2017

    Yes, the height of the food bowl does matter in that if it's too high, that can put Emma an increased risk of developing bloat. One of the risk factors of bloat is eating from an elevated space because it allows a dog to eat faster, thus leading them to gulp more air as they eat. If you do feed from an elevated platform, it's recommended to subtract 6" from their shoulder height to get a safe elevation. I would measure Emma's shoulder height, then subtract 6" from that to get a safe elevation upon which to feed her. As always, if you should see any signs of bloat (unproductive vomiting, abdominal pain, restlessness, abdominal distention), get her into a vet immediately. I hope this helps!

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    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Vet Q & A
Are raised food bowls safe for giant dogs, or do they cause bloat?
In veterinary school, I was taught as well the the risk of GDV was increased by feeding from raised food bowls. Given that Jasper is a giant breed dog, it's not worth the risk of feeding him from a raised bowl. A GDV is deadly, sometimes even with treatment, and it's best to avoid any risk factors to prevent it from happening. There is a preventative surgery you can do when he's older to keep it from happening. It's called a gastropexy, and it's when the dog's stomach is sutured to his thoracic wall. It does prevent the stomach from rotating on it's axis. You can see if this surgery is an option for Jasper by discussing it with your vet.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Health & Wellness
Are raised dog food bowls good or bad for my large breed dog?
There are so many differing opinions on this topic. I feel like they don't help or hurt the average large breed dog. They may be needed in dogs that have megaesophagus or neck or back issues. Some large dogs will decide that laying next to the bowl is more comfortable. The only thing I would watch for is Thor eating too quickly. If he gulps his food, you may want to get a bowl with partitions to make him slow down a bit.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Do slow feeder bowls help fast eaters with digestion & bloat?
The main purpose is to help slow down eating, but it does help in other ways too. When dogs eat too fast, they can gulp a lot of air. Slowly down their eating leads to less gulping of air, cutting down on burping and the potential of developing bloat.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Vet Q & A
Is it safe for my dog to lay down while eating from a raised bowl?
JuJu is so cute! The concern about feeding a dog from a raising height is that it can predispose them to developing bloat. It would be better for her to sit or stand while eating from the bowl off the ground.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My dog eats food too fast. Is it normal? What are the health risks?
Thanks for using PetCoach! It is definitely common for puppies especially to eat like it’s a race! There isn’t generally any problem with it except that Brixy may be more likely to regurgitate that meal right back up (looking almost the same!) If you’d like to try and slow her down, consider a puzzle bowl like this, or a slow feeding toy like this https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/kong-wobbler-food-dispensing-dog-toy Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Brixy!
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Is it safe to add water to my picky dog's kibble? Worried about bloat.
Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is not true that moist kibbles increase the risk of bloat. The risk factors for bloat include feeding one large meal rather than 2-3 meals, feeding from raised bowls, exercising after a meal. Bloat is also more common in nervous dogs. As long as you try and avoid these risk factors, you can feed Spike moist kibbles.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My dog throws up food after eating fast. Is it serious?
This is definitely something that can occur as a result of how fast food and water are ingested. The maze dog food bowls work great or the bowls that only dispense a small amount of food at a time. You can try and elevate the food bowl and see if this helps. If the episodes become more frequent then I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Pepper and consider switching to a different food. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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