I Just Want To Understand Feeding

[Kayann]

Hi,

If dogs are mammals like people, don't they get really hungry only having one meal a day?

When I feed our cat in the morning, both dogs look at me like they are starving. They can have two smaller meals spilt between morning and night easily, but is it that they are hungry, or just always begging for food?

Don't they get hungry for three meals a day like a person does?

[SparkyTansy]

dogs are not people... they do not have the conscious thought to know when their next meal is, and hence they will eat when they can.

Look at their cousins in the wild, who will gorge on a meal because they do not know when they will eat next.

Yes, they get hungry, but mostly they will always be willing to eat, as a survival mechanism.

in addition to this, you do have a choice of feeding your dogs more than once a day. many people feed twice a day... there is no rule against it... but i am sure you will find that even if you feed twice a day, they'd still beg or be iwlling to eat any time of the day.

[Dame Aussie]

We feed twice a day, partly becasue one of my dogs is a deep chested breed and I try not to feed too much at once to avoid bloat.

I've always fed twice a day.

[all that glitters]

We feed twice a day, partly becasue one of my dogs is a deep chested breed and I try not to feed too much at once to avoid bloat.

I've always fed twice a day.

Same

[Kajtek]

3 x day meals here - the babes don't get more food, it's just spread over 3 meals. They get breakfast, lunch and dinner.

3 x day feeds were recommended by a vet I really trusted and the babies are happy. Fortunately OH works from home so it's easy to do.

BTW, we've been doing it for 5 years

Edited February 4, 2010 by Anna

[Scarlet]

Many mammals in the wild eat only every few days or so after a big kill.

Same as humans originally.

[Nekhbet]

Even our 3 meals are a cultural/habitual process

I prefer to eat once a day, and have tea/coffee the rest of the time. My dogs eat twice a day (because they're always starving ) but what time that is varies every day with our routine.

I think dogs that are very active in particular benefit from 2 meals a day (food in the stomach + work usually = vomit with dogs anyhow) or the larger more bloat prone breeds.

[W Sibs]

Charlie gets fed twice a day. Whether he eats when he gets fed is a totally different story.

If he had a big day, he will eat a lot. If he had a lazy day, he won't eat. He is one of those dogs that will actually stop eating when he is full.

He has gone a few days without eating... despite me putting food out for him.

[Kajtek]

Feeding 3xday means that meals are not particularly important to my babes.

Eating is just something they do when they are hungry and are happy to skip a meal or two if they don't feel hungry. They know the next feed is just a short time away.

Edited February 4, 2010 by Anna

[poodlefan]

Dogs are opportunistic carnivores. They kill, they gorge, and they would be unlikely to have a successful kill every day (even if African Painted Dogs are the most successful hunters on that continent). They will scavenge if they can and eat fruits too. But the primary diet is prey.

Humans are omnivores. We'd gather, browse and get what we can, only hunting occasionally. Chimps are probably a good close example.

To understand feeding patterns, look to the natural diet.

Edited February 4, 2010 by poodlefan

[WildatHeart]

We feed twice a day, partly becasue one of my dogs is a deep chested breed and I try not to feed too much at once to avoid bloat.

I've always fed twice a day.

Same

My dog spreads her meal out over the day herself. I give it to her partly frozen/defrosted, she eats the mince and then leaves the rest (carcass, wings, offal) till late in the afternoon after its been 'sun-dried'. Even when she's hungry and i feed her she'll not touch it until usually 1/2hr later.

[Kajtek]

To understand feeding patterns, look to the natural diet.

What is the dog's natural diet?

Is it the diet of a wolf that hunts in packs and begs for leader's leftovers (usually with 0 success)?

Is it the diet of the lonely scavenger that lives on rubbish tip?

Is it the diet of the overfed domesticated canine with oversupply of food?

IMHO, whatever keeps your dog healthy and you content

Edited February 4, 2010 by Anna

[Odin-Genie]

I have wondered about this too. My dogs get fed twice a day, at 6.15 am and 8.00 pm. However, my goldy starts whining about 20 minutes before meal time and quietens only after she has had her meal. We ignore her and give her the meal at specific times. But I do wonder if she is whining because she's terribly hungry, or because she knows she would get her meal soon. My other dog has no issues.

[kiesha09]

I have wondered about this too. My dogs get fed twice a day, at 6.15 am and 8.00 pm. However, my goldy starts whining about 20 minutes before meal time and quietens only after she has had her meal. We ignore her and give her the meal at specific times. But I do wonder if she is whining because she's terribly hungry, or because she knows she would get her meal soon. My other dog has no issues.

I would say your dog is whining because she knows she would get her meal soon. I used to feed at approx the same times as you and then my dog started barking at me because he knew food was coming. Now there is no set feeding schedule. They get fed at different times every day. They generally get fed twice but probably once a week I will only feed once a dayk (feed more for that one meal). Now I have no problems with barking or demanding to be fed.

If the whining is an issue for you I'd give this a go.

[tarope]

Mine are fed 3 small meals per day because of bloat, they are not allowed out half an hour before and after they eat.

My lot know exactly when it's time to be fed and they let me know too. I always laugh when I hear people and vets say "In the wild dogs do this and that." ;)

[Miss BeRidgierent]

I feed once a day then sometimes we miss a feed because he just isn't hungry specially in summer. He isn't very food driven at all so it doesn't bother my boy. And would much rather go for a run then eat.

Edited February 5, 2010 by Miss BeRidgierent

[Odin-Genie]

I have wondered about this too. My dogs get fed twice a day, at 6.15 am and 8.00 pm. However, my goldy starts whining about 20 minutes before meal time and quietens only after she has had her meal. We ignore her and give her the meal at specific times. But I do wonder if she is whining because she's terribly hungry, or because she knows she would get her meal soon. My other dog has no issues.

I would say your dog is whining because she knows she would get her meal soon. I used to feed at approx the same times as you and then my dog started barking at me because he knew food was coming. Now there is no set feeding schedule. They get fed at different times every day. They generally get fed twice but probably once a week I will only feed once a dayk (feed more for that one meal). Now I have no problems with barking or demanding to be fed.

If the whining is an issue for you I'd give this a go.

Thanks keisha. That's probably it. Her whining is not an issue. It's really soft. But she sounds so pathetic that I was wondering if I was starving her

[newfsie]

I feed two equal amount twice a day............I have Newf's and i try to prevent bloat, but I am not even sure if it is relative. It is just been the way we have done it for so many years (30+)