How Many Times To Feed?

[Megzz]

Hi All

How many times a day do you feed your dogs?. Mine (except 6mth old Levi of course who gets 2 feeds) get their meals Once a day at around 5pm. But they're always hungry & looking for food. So my Vet suggested that I give them half their normal meal in the morning & then half in the evening at their normal meal time.

I was worried that I was not giving them enough & that's why they're hungry but I don't think that's the case. For eg Francesca my Chi gets 1 handfull of her cooked mince meat with Rice & vegetables. Plus one chicken neck plus a hand full of dry food. The other Chihuahuas some times get the same as her or they get half a handfull of the mince & then 2 chicken necks each. Yogi My Kees gets 3 chicken necks, 1 chicken wint & 2 hand fulls of dry food. The Little levi in the morning gets 1 handfull of the mince mix & 1 of dry. In the evening he gets 2 chicken wings & 3 necks.

So insteand of them being hungry all day would it be better I feed them half that in the morning & half in the evening?

thanks

meg

[Bullmastiff Addict]

both of my great danes get fed twice a day....first meal is around 6am and second meal is around 6-6.30 at night. It is said that feeding great danes 2 meals a day helps reduce bloat

[HuntinHound]

My guys are classed as Medium to Large and now that they are fully grown they are fed once a day - generally at Breakfast.

Although, having said that I do have 1 dog who likes to 'lean out' on me everyso often so she either gets her meal split in half (half morning/half night) OR we feed her at night so that she 'sleeps on it' instead of running it off all day ...

IF that makes sense?? Too early in the morning to be thinking about how to word something ..

[Norskgra]

I feed mine twice a day even when they are adults. The main reason for this is that one of my girls can only eat 1 1/2 cups of food at a time. If I give her any more, she will bring it straight back up. I spread her food over two meals a day and it is easier to feed the others at the same time.

[Ashley]

first meal is around 6am and second meal is around 6-6.30 at night. It is said that feeding great danes 2 meals a day helps reduce bloat

Yep Same Here.

[TiffanyAmber]

Hungry, always looking for food can only mean one thing.........worms.

When was the last time they got wormed. Dont worry, I've forgotten too.

Or maybe they can work you around their little paws.

[Koza]

3 yo - once in the evening, she refuses to eat in the morning (unless its a bone or sometimes she IS hungry).

18 mo eats twice a day, he is always hungry.

I'd think small dogs need to fed twice?

[Megzz]

Hungry, always looking for food can only mean one thing.........worms.

I only wormed them maybe 3wks ago

[Meriment]

Maybe they are just little greedy guts?! ;)

But I'd be feeding them twice day. Mine get a small meal in the morning and fed again at dinner time.

[Weimlover]

Hi there,

I feed mine twice a day. They get there either there kibble at about 7am OR there fresh meat bones and veges at about 12pm (a couple of hours after there walk) and they get there Eagle Pack Kibble at about 8pm to 8.30pm at night. I found mine seem happier being fed twice a day (I do it too, to help prevent bloat with my weim) .I also do it at those times because theres always someone home for a hour at least after they have eaten to keep an eye on them ;)

Edited November 15, 2005 by Weimlover

[chicko]

Good topic...

i was wondering the same thing because i was told to feed a puppy 2 meals a day up until 12 months and then at 12 months just cut it down to once a day and Sunnie is comming up to 12 months so i was wondering how to go into the once per day.

I was thinking of jsut giving him a bone and a kong every mornign and that to be his breakfast and then a bigger meal at night.

any thougths?

[Cazza]

Before the dog trainer set us on a one-month no-free-food policy, we were feeding him once a day, at dinner. He still gets the bones or a kong to chew on during the day while we're out.

[Guest LittlePixie]

Brody and Holly eat once a day and fast once a fortnight.

Kaeleigh eats twice a day (and as a baby puppy, obviously is not fasted).

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Vet's advice for Molly my new tiny is to feed twice daily, but small meals b/c she's at the ideal weight. I think it depends on the dog or breed. My other two (greyhound, medium sized mixed breed) are fed once daily. ;)

[Tia]

My goldy gets fed twice a day.

If he's not hungry he'll often leave it, but never refuses treats. ;)

[Ripley]

My dog was obese when I rescued her and leans to the portly side if I don't watch what I give her. I only feed her once a day. Every second morning I give her a chicken neck. I feed her some meat (4 dogs atm) mixed in with a good quality weight reduction dry food. I also give her sardines in spring water 3 times a week with some of the dry food.

She gets a walk every day or every second day. Every evening she plays chasings with my cat around the house.

When my mother minded her, she told me that one night she ate all 4 bowls of dog food at her place and then vomited it all up. She's just a greedy little spud.

However, she now has a waist. ;)

[caslero]

My two Dobes are fed a raw diet and fed twice a day - @ 5.30am and 7.30pm. They will also eat anything they can scrounge from us during the day as well (leftovers from our food, fresh fruit etc) ;)

I would agree with others here in the thinking that small dogs should be fed twice a day as well.

Edited November 15, 2005 by caslero

[Melisski]

first meal is around 6am and second meal is around 6-6.30 at night. It is said that feeding great danes 2 meals a day helps reduce bloat

Yep Same Here. ;)

Same here as well. I've always fed my dogs twice a day, don't know why though, just personal preference. Of course Indy's only 4mths old so she's used to it anyway and with Diesel I just never stopped. He's getting 4 tbsp mince and 1 cup dry in the morning, then a lamb flap, a chicken wing and 2 cups dry in the evenings. Indy's getting about 2 tbsp mince in the morning with 3/4 cup dry, then a chicken wing OR a neck OR lamb flap in the evenings and about 1 cup of dry - but she's a greedy guts

[persephone]

Our working dogs get one meal in the evening,house dogs get morning and evening meals.

[CK9]

Here is a guideline

Puppy 8 to 12 weeks old 4 meal per day

Puppy 3 to 6 weeks old 3 meal per day

Puppy 6 months old to 1 year old 2 meal per day

Adult 12-15 months old and up 1, or 2 smaller

Geriatric depending on breed 6 years old and up 1, or 2 smaller

(Amount should be reduce if pet is less active)

I feed twice a day and I make sure I feed 1 hour at least after exercise or at least 3 hours before exercise.

Since liquid meal takes about an hour to emptied out of the stomach. Meals that are low in fat takes about 3 to 4 hours. Less digestible food and fatty meals takes as long as 8 hours.

And I prefer Portion-control feeding and time-control feeding. I don't beleive in free feeding

;)