danakay9 Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 I would not consider restricting a little toy size dog to just one meal a day. If you feed only once a day you may find the dog will frequently vomit bile due to having an empty stomach for so long. May I ask why you want to feed a tiny dog only once a day? My small breed dogs (Cavaliers) are fed a raw diet twice a day. I also fed my large breed dogs twice a day because I think 24 hours is too long between feeds. I feed her twice a day now. A big meal in the morning and a smaller meal at night. But since the weathers getting hotter she has stopped eating her breakfast. Or if she does eat it she will only have a tiny bit and leave the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 I feed twice a day, but his larger meal is in the morning. I feel like he would need more energy through the day? For those that feed one meal at night, is there a reason you choose night time, or is it just habit? Curious to know if there's something I haven't thought of. I feed at all times of the day, I don't like the 'expectation' of being fed at a certain time. After reading this thread I feel like a right bitch! My dog gets a once a day feed, and if she starts looking like she is putting on weight I skip a day. We had working dogs when I was growing up in the 70's and they were fed every second day, and were fed a combination of raw and PAL dog biscuits (one or the other). When an animal was butchered, they had a feast! I would have thought that any working dog should be fed every day, I really feel every second day would leave them very hungry indeed. Animals like routine, yes it can be a pain if you have to change your own and they get a bit worrisome but it's part of pet ownership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Agreed. I would never allow one of my dogs go 24 hours without a meal let alone 48 hours. I don't see any good reason for allowing our dogs to go hungry and after 48 hours they would be very hungry indeed. Our dogs are domesticated animals, they're not wild animals that need to hunt for food whether or not they are working dogs. If my dogs look like they're carrying a bit too much weight I reduce the amount of food give at each meal and increase their exercise. They still get two meals a day. I wouldn't let them go hungry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I would imagine, that if the dog starts to go hungry it is more likely to go & nibble on something in it's environment that it maybe shouldn't. My dogs get fed twice a day plus training treats, & they never nibble on things in the garden except grass & mulberries.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Yonjuro I suspect that's more to do with the treats than the once a day feeding. I can tell you now, my dogs are not fat and I bet others who regularly feed once a day don't all have fat dogs either. I think that's a huge stretch. If I said all dogs fed once a day were fat then that would indeed be a huge stretch and that is certainly not what I intending or inferring, so my apologies if my writing made you think this. It is just my unfounded theory as I said. I also said that I don't think this would relate to anyone on this forum, most of whom are very savvy and conscious of their dogs health :) My personal opinion is that there are more benefits in feeding twice a day than negatives :) What I do think is relevant is that I believe that the stomach gets used to the quantity fed and will expand or contract to accommodate the normal volume, an empty stomach over a longer period of time will produce more bile and possible cause some discomfort and may lead to a depopulation of healthy gut flora. I will say with confidence is that if I find compelling arguments that feeding once a day is going to be healthier for my dog, I will definitely change to that regime. Anyway, it is just a discussion I find interesting and food for thought as they say :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I feed twice a day, but his larger meal is in the morning. I feel like he would need more energy through the day? For those that feed one meal at night, is there a reason you choose night time, or is it just habit? Curious to know if there's something I haven't thought of. I feed at all times of the day, I don't like the 'expectation' of being fed at a certain time. After reading this thread I feel like a right bitch! My dog gets a once a day feed, and if she starts looking like she is putting on weight I skip a day. We had working dogs when I was growing up in the 70's and they were fed every second day, and were fed a combination of raw and PAL dog biscuits (one or the other). When an animal was butchered, they had a feast! Why wouldn't you just feed smaller portions every day instead of completely skipping a day? That's what I do with Stan much to his disgust. Mine are fed twice a day and a chicken wing at lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korbin13 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I feed twice a day, but his larger meal is in the morning. I feel like he would need more energy through the day? For those that feed one meal at night, is there a reason you choose night time, or is it just habit? Curious to know if there's something I haven't thought of. I feed at all times of the day, I don't like the 'expectation' of being fed at a certain time. After reading this thread I feel like a right bitch! My dog gets a once a day feed, and if she starts looking like she is putting on weight I skip a day. We had working dogs when I was growing up in the 70's and they were fed every second day, and were fed a combination of raw and PAL dog biscuits (one or the other). When an animal was butchered, they had a feast! I would have thought that any working dog should be fed every day, I really feel every second day would leave them very hungry indeed. Animals like routine, yes it can be a pain if you have to change your own and they get a bit worrisome but it's part of pet ownership. I suppose that was what my father had always done, the dogs were extremely hard workers. Life wasn't easy in remote locations like ours, even for us! I remember my brother almost dying waiting for the Flying Doctors. I feed twice a day, but his larger meal is in the morning. I feel like he would need more energy through the day? For those that feed one meal at night, is there a reason you choose night time, or is it just habit? Curious to know if there's something I haven't thought of. I feed at all times of the day, I don't like the 'expectation' of being fed at a certain time. After reading this thread I feel like a right bitch! My dog gets a once a day feed, and if she starts looking like she is putting on weight I skip a day. We had working dogs when I was growing up in the 70's and they were fed every second day, and were fed a combination of raw and PAL dog biscuits (one or the other). When an animal was butchered, they had a feast! Why wouldn't you just feed smaller portions every day instead of completely skipping a day? That's what I do with Stan much to his disgust. Mine are fed twice a day and a chicken wing at lunch. It is what works for us, it has taken a while for us to get the balance right, she gets very small meals now as it is. I fast once a week myself and have been for a while now and feel a lot better since. I don't fast her once a week though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podengo Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 For those that feed one meal at night, is there a reason you choose night time, or is it just habit? Curious to know if there's something I haven't thought of. I feed at night because we often go out and do stuff early in the day (go to trials, or big forest runs) so I don't want her doing that with a full tummy. Also Elsie is not a morning girl, and as I said earlier she will leave her breakfast until around 2pm normally... So if I try to feed breakfast before a trial (around 6am) she doesn't touch it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Stella would think her throat had been cut if I skipped a day with their food :laugh: She loooovvveeeesss her food & anyone else's Ha Ha... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) Mine get fed once a day with something small in the morning sometimes, not every day. Unfortunately many people treat working dogs like machinery not animals and the way some of them are treated is horrible. I have seen extremely skinny work dogs because the owner believes they need to be hungry to work hard - ie herding is part of their prey drive. As a kid our work dog slept inside, ate what we did, and very occasionally had to be put in a strict diet because she was getting fat - 3 weeks working soon stripped it off :) She was an exceptional working dog and pet and came on family holidays and the works. Our own work dog is also part of the family, plays with the kids, goes everywhere with his master - generally running everywhere - and is also an extremely fit and brilliant sheep dog. He is fed once a day as he often works first thing in the morning and I don't want to run him on a full stomach. He is fed mainly super premium dry and bones/scraps and whatever poo he hoovers. We believe a dog must be in the peak of condition to work effectively, for long consistent periods of time and to avoid injury. I couldn't and wouldn't work like that dog does happily and without quitting. Edited January 3, 2015 by OSoSwift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) For those that feed one meal at night, is there a reason you choose night time, or is it just habit? Curious to know if there's something I haven't thought of. I feed at night because we often go out and do stuff early in the day (go to trials, or big forest runs) so I don't want her doing that with a full tummy. Also Elsie is not a morning girl, and as I said earlier she will leave her breakfast until around 2pm normally... So if I try to feed breakfast before a trial (around 6am) she doesn't touch it. Yes same as DD my days are variable and the dogs may be training/exercising hard in the morning/afternoon or evening. They know that they will get fed as soon as we get home in the evening after competing or training - usually an hour to travel home so they are well rested but it could be very late. Before a trial they will get a dry biscuit and lots of awesome, nutritious treats after they run in a ring. I also read a study that suggested feeding Dalmatians once a day at night slightly reduced risk for urinary stone formation when fed the appropriate diet. Edited January 3, 2015 by The Spotted Devil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazyWal Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Stella would think her throat had been cut if I skipped a day with their food :laugh: She loooovvveeeesss her food & anyone else's Ha Ha... Same with Stan! Try being late with his 11am chicken wing :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podengo Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Elsie is having a hare for dinner tonight, a process that takes a few hours for her! Having whole prey is nicer in the evening too when there aren't flies around to land all over it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Ooo Elsie is one very lucky girl. Yummo for her. Hazy we certainly don't need a clock on the wall to tell us the time LOL. Stel is rarely a couple of minutes out when she comes up to me & just starts batting those pretty eye lids at me. Fading away to a shadow.... not ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canisbellum Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Jesse was fed once a day by her foster but is much more relaxed about food and no longer digs in the bin or counter surfs since she gets fed twice a day plus treats when training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann21 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I would not consider restricting a little toy size dog to just one meal a day. If you feed only once a day you may find the dog will frequently vomit bile due to having an empty stomach for so long. May I ask why you want to feed a tiny dog only once a day? My small breed dogs (Cavaliers) are fed a raw diet twice a day. I also fed my large breed dogs twice a day because I think 24 hours is too long between feeds. I second this. My dog is medium sized (~9kgs) but he still vomits bile if I don't feed him fast enough in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gila Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I feed raw once a day in the late arvo/early evening. I only feed enough to keep my dog lean and he never acts like he's starving or desperate for food during the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotMyCircus Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Twice a day for me, smaller in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Oh and mine are fed in the evening but the actual time can be anywhere between 6pm and 2 am if I fall asleep on the lounge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessicaM Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I've got papillons (2kg-3.5kgs) and they get fed once a day in the evening. I find they are not hungry in the morning and have left their kibble out all day for the ants to get. I do shift work too so 1x a day works for all of us, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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