Raising a lovely pooch comes with much responsibility. Managing his feeding schedule and providing the best nutrients is one such responsibility. Have you ever fed your dog twice or too much at a given time?
Feeding too much will lead to throwing up, long sleep, bloating, obstructions in the gastrointestinal tract, discomfort during walking and breathing, and in the long term, leads to obesity and diabetes. Managing a feeding schedule and feeding measured food portions is good for your dog’s health.
Let’s find out what your pooch goes through after eating more than they should.
What Will Happen if You Accidentally Feed Your Dog Too Much?
We humans take three main meals per day. However, your pet dog requires only at least two meals per day. Additional treats in between will keep your pet contented throughout the day.
Managing your pooch’s feeding can sometimes be neglected with your busy schedule. On the other hand, over-concern for your pet might have led you to feed them twice. Will accidentally feeding your dog twice cause any trouble?
If this happened only once, this might not cause much trouble to your pooch.
However, it’s better to understand the circumstances of feeding your dog twice and if you overfeed for a prolonged period.
The following four outcomes will occur if you accidentally feed your dog twice.
1. Throwing Up
Like human digestion, even dogs cannot digest much food at once. If your dog eats more than they can digest, they will vomit.
Vomiting can happen for many reasons, and one such reason can be overeating. However, closely monitor your dog when they are vomiting.
Notice the consistency, color, and frequency of vomit because it can be due to other gastrointestinal tract diseases.
By the way, here is why some dogs have gulping episodes.
2. Sleeping Too Long
If your dog doesn’t vomit or show any other physical discomfort after eating too much or multiple times within a short duration, they will take a long nap.
This will help your pet recover back to normal as digestion occurs during this time. When they wake up, they will be okay.
3. Bloating
If you accidentally feed your dog twice within a short period, or if your pooch is a greedy eater and eats more than they can stomach, bloating can occur.
Bloating can be either a minor condition or a severe condition.
Simple bloating occurs if the stomach is distended due to excess food or gas.
However, never take this condition mildly. Contacting your veterinarian or taking your pet to them is always better.
If your dog has severe bloating, the pressure inside the stomach will exert pressure on the thoracic cavity, causing difficulty breathing and reducing blood flow to the heart. Severe bloating can also tear the stomach walls.
Severe bloating is unlikely to happen if you accidentally feed your dog twice every once in a while. Still, it is always good to remember this condition, especially if your pet is a greedy eater.
Stay tuned to learn more about the symptoms of bloating and what to do if your pet suffers from bloating.
4. Obstructions in the Gastrointestinal Tract
An obstruction can occur if your dog overeats food all at once. Always keep in mind to give your pet bite-size portions of food.
If you give them treats like bones or rawhides, monitor them, especially if you have a pup.
The conditions mentioned above cause discomfort to your pet. Therefore, overfeeding your dog is not acceptable.
The following three outcomes will occur if you overfeed your dog for a prolonged period.
1. Obesity
I have to remind you again that this will not happen if you accidentally overfeed your dog once in a while.
Just like in humans, too much food will cause obesity in dogs because more fat will be produced and deposited around the body. Just like in humans, obesity will lead to many other diseases in dogs.
2. Diabetes
This is a disease condition that can occur due to obesity. Dogs who are old, obese, and less active are more prone to diabetes.
Therefore, always try to properly feed your pet with proper nutrients according to a proper feeding schedule.
3. Skeletal Muscle Issues
Usually, puppies are more prone to skeletal muscle issues with overfeeding. Hypertrophy of muscles or bulky muscle masses in the limbs can be one such issue with overeating high-protein diets.
How Can You Tell if You Have Fed Your Dog Too Much?
When the stomach is overly distended, your dog will visibly show their discomfort. So, keep a close eye on your lovely pooch if you have overfed them.
The following are a few visible signs that your pet is overfed.
1. Difficulty Moving Around
Your dog will like to rest more without moving a lot. This can be due to an over-extended stomach. With time, the food will digest, and your dog should return to normal health.
If they don’t recover soon, consider contacting your veterinarian.
2. Inability to Stand
They will also try to decrease movements due to the discomfort in the stomach. They will lie down and prefer to sleep until the food is digested. Afterward, your pet should be fine.
3. Hard Abdomen
This can also be the result of a distended stomach.
Now we will move to a more serious scenario. If your lovely pooch exhibits signs of bloating, you must immediately contact your veterinarian, as there are no home remedies.
The following are a few signs of bloating in dogs. Monitor your pet for such signs after a hefty meal.
4. Signs of Bloating
- Shortness of breath and rapid breathing
- Labored breathing
- Restlessness
- Swollen abdomen
- Panting
- Trying to vomit but unable to do so successfully
- Rapid heartbeat
What Should You Do if You Accidentally Feed Your Dog Twice?
You can do a few remedies at home to make it easier for your dog to digest their excess food.
Unless you suspect your dog has bloating or any other primary symptom-like difficulty in breathing, consider doing these home remedies to comfort your pet.
You must observe and monitor your dog closely if you overfeed your dog or feed them twice.
What should you monitor?
- Observe your pet’s movements. Is it tough for them to move around?
- Watch their bowel movements. Although you might not be an expert, by observing their bowel movements, you can predict the possibility of an obstruction in the intestines.
- Watch for severe bloating by identifying the symptoms.
After monitoring your dog, you can conclude whether they are okay or need medical assistance.
If you observe signs of severe discomfort or expansion of the abdomen, do not waste time; contact the vet and take your pupper to them immediately.
However, if they are doing okay and you feel they need some help with digestion, you can do the following.
- Take them for long walks. This will facilitate the digestive process, making their bowel movements regular. Going out for a walk will also allow them to defecate.
- Please do not give them milk or dairy products. These are high-protein foods, which will increase the severity of the condition.
- You can also consider reducing the food given to your pet in the coming days. However, before taking such a step that concerns your pet’s health, it’s always better to consult your vet.
How Can You Avoid Accidentally Feeding Your Dog Twice in the Future?
We have now understood the importance of giving appropriate amounts of food to your pet.
Now we will find out how to manage a proper feeding schedule for your pet and avoid accidentally feeding your dog twice or too much food at once.
1. Feeding Schedule
Have you ever considered this option? If you haven’t, you should try it. A proper feeding schedule will make it easier for you to prepare and provide food at the correct time for your pet.
The usual dog is sufficiently satisfied with two big meals per day. However, if you have a puppy, an older dog, or a pet with special requirements, you must rearrange the portion sizes and scheduling.
Before making a feeding schedule, please consult your vet, as they will know the proper requirements of your pet.
2. Measured Portions of Food
Some pet owners are the lucky parents of many dogs of many ages and many breeds.
Therefore, some owners keep food bowls around the place so anyone hungry can take a bite. But this can lead to overfeeding of some pets.
So, it is better to give measured portions of food to your pet. Please consult with your veterinarian to find out the requirements of your dog.
Then, use a measuring cup or a kitchen scale to prepare your pet’s meal. This will give your pet the best quantity of food at an accurate time.
Things To Be Aware Of
The nutrition of your pet is one of your primary concerns and responsibilities. Providing your pet with a healthy diet and making them healthier is beneficial for both pet and owner.
The following are a few essential facts about your pet’s nutrition.
- The number of main meals per day your pet requires is usually two. However, this differs according to your dog’s age, breed, and health issues.
- Puppies require several small meals throughout the day for their optimum growth and development. The food provided to a puppy differs from that of an adult dog. It should be easily digestible and contain bones to develop and maintain healthy teeth.
- Overfeeding or underfeeding your pet will bring many negative health issues.
- Malnutrition of your pet leads to reduced growth, weakness, and emaciation.
- Overfeeding will lead to obesity, diabetes, and joint problems.
- The daily food and feeding frequency requirement can be best understood by consulting with your veterinarian.
Conclusion
Proper feeding habits bring good health to your pet. This article reviewed the adverse effects of overfeeding your dog and how to overcome overfeeding.
