I am not sure if dogs repress stress the same way that humans do, but this vomiting thing seems to be similar to what some humans do when they repress stress.

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If he doesn't eat twice a day, he'll vomit bile.

You're wrong. You think this is fact, but it isn't. I thought the same thing about my dog, and even 'had' to start feeding her three meals a day because she started vomiting before bedtime! Then I did some more research because feeding an adult dog 3 times a day? No. That's getting a bit ridiculous. I had been told that it was due to the stomach sitting empty for too long, but bile vomiting actually has absolutely nothing to do with how often a dog is fed. What it is is anticipation of being fed. I'll explain:

I assume you're on some sort of feeding schedule with your dog - you feed at, say, 7:00am and 7:00pm or whatever. Your dog knows this. So, at around 7:00 he will anticipate feeding time and his stomach will start to produce stomach acid to digest whatever it is he's going to eat. If he doesn't eat within a certain amount of time, then he has a buildup of stomach acid in his stomach and nothing to do with it, so he must vomit the acid up. In actuality, you are causing the problem by feeding him at set times each day.

So instead of feeding at or around the same time every day, mix it up a bit. Feed him at various times so that he can't anticipate when he's going to eat. It may take a week or so for him to figure it out, but it will work. I have been feeding my dog one meal a day since May or June with no bile vomiting at all, and it was something she had done for 2 years.

When feeding raw, it's recommended that you feed one large meal, as opposed to a couple of small meals, anyway.





Also, she didn't say this dog just followed her on hikes - she said he was her pack dog, meaning he carries his share of the weight, which is usually around 20% of the dog's body weight if he's in good condition. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Quote:Also, she didn't say this dog just followed her on hikes - she said he was her pack dog, meaning he carries his share of the weight, which is usually around 20% of the dog's body weight if he's in good condition.

How is that considered work? Why would he carry that much on a day hike?

hm, food for thought, kristen. i'd always been told when a dog vomits bile it's because they are hungry. i guess that is still correct.

unfortunately, your assumption is wrong. i've never ever fed him on a set schedule. and the only times he's vomited bile are when i have attempted to fast him, i.e., he doesn't do it when he's anticipated a meal, but much later on, like the next day.

i don't do anything on a set schedule. my dogs have always had to just put up with it, just like my husband does! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> he's always been fed at varying times, meals skipped, etc.

i've tried feeding him once a day, but it doesn't work. if he gets a double ration (for example, a whole chicken instead of a half a chicken), he just throws it up. and half a chicken a day is not enough to support this dog.

true, he will re-eat it. but since this is a house dog, and i'm not always right there when he regurgitates, it creates an untenable household problem.

i do sometimes feed one meal a day as a way to fast him a bit, since he can't go a whole day without eating. he doesn't vomit bile from missing just one meal.

what do you think of as a working dog, jeff? my dog is burning a lot more calories than a police dog on patrol, or a bomb sniffing dog. he's active the way a dog in search and rescue, or a hunting dog would be active.

carrying a 30 lb. saddlebag is defnitely work, especially when you consider that we live in the mountains, are hiking at high elevations often in very challenging terrain. i have picture i could post that would give you more of an idea. this dog is very heavily muscled and burns calories like a house afire. he definitely gets tired out on the very steep trails we hike.

have you ever climbed trails that gain 1,000 vertical feet in a mile? for five miles? that is work! lol.

Quote:what do you think of as a working dog, jeff?

Sorry, not that. Carrying something requires effort, but no training. Calorie expedature is not something that I consider a working dog. And of course I have humped up mountains with a pack. It weighed around 120 lbs which at the time was half my body weight. We won't add the rifle, or the duece gear.

someone asked if he was a working dog. since this thread is about feeding, i assumed they asked the question as it pertains to his caloric intake.

if a working dog means training, then yes, he also qualifies on that score as well, i work with him in competitive obedience and weight pulling. we used to do agility until it was clear it bored him.

just curious, what relevance does being a working dog (as you define it) have to feeding?

In general I don't see Competetive OB or weight pulling to be work. Fun maybe, but not work as I see it. I may have high standards to what I consider work, but I will NOT lower them for any reason.

I define working for a dog as doing the protection sports, hunting, or herding. The rest I consider activities.

ok, fine, jeff, so you are a "working" snob. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

but what does working as you define it have to do with the problem of a dog developing an aversion to eating chicken?

I was responding to someone else. And yes I am a working snob. I want working dog to have an important meaning and not be dropped into oblivion by the masses.