Are raised dog food bowls good or bad for my large breed dog?

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!

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.

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.

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.

It's good that it's slowed down her eating! That is ok she can only reach one morsel at a time, she will get eat kibble up eventually. This will keep her from gobbling down her food to fast, and lead to her feeling full. I'd keep using it. I hope this helps!

I would first encourage you to consider whether Norik is actually having appetite issues and not bowl issues. If you're sure that he has a strong/normal appetite, that's good, but remember that sometimes reluctant eaters actually have gastrointestinal issues - for example, intestinal parasites are very common in puppies - and make sure that you and your vet have ruled out potential medical issues first, especially if there are other concerning signs such as vomiting and/or diarrhea. Also think about whether he might have neck pain that is keeping him from wanting to lower his head all the way to the floor. If Norik has a great/normal appetite, and you've made sure that any potential health problems are ruled out, but he truly doesn't like bowls, then I would recommend trying to feed him on something extremely shallow, such as a plate or cookie sheet. You might also consider an elevated feeding bowl to see if getting the bowl up higher is more appropriate for him.

Eating fast is ok. Gobbling food in 10 seconds flat is not ok. I am being a little silly, but if you think that Hazel is eating too fast, there is nothing wrong with getting a special bowl to slow her down!