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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

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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!

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Other Answers

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    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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