Feeding

[dreamerofdreams]

How do you decide if you should switch to once a day feeding?

My pup is five months old and has never been super interested in food. She gets all she wants twice a day, for ten minutes at a time, but lately she's been mostly or completely ignoring at least one feeding. Today she didn't eat a mouthful of her first meal. I'm wondering if I should just drop to once a day, but I want to make sure she's still getting enough to eat - she's a skinny little bit!

[Doc E]

I prefer twice a day feeding.
Here's what I would suggest :
Put the food down for 10 minutes (by the clock) and then pick it up.
No more food until the next feeding (give the dog another 10 minutes -- then the left over gets picked up).



.

[dreamerofdreams]

Yeah, that's what I have been doing.

[ezzy333]

I prefer twice a day feeding.
Here's what I would suggest :
Put the food down for 10 minutes (by the clock) and then pick it up.
No more food until the next feeding (give the dog another 10 minutes -- then the left over gets picked up).



.

I believe he said that is what he is doing. I would just continue feeding twice a day but cut the feed back to where he cleans it up in ten minutes.

Ezzy

[MikeB]

Dreamer...
Couple of questions. What exactly are you feeding, brand / formula?
You say " She gets all she wants twice a day," How much is that? Do you know exacly how much she eats?
I personally would not stop feeding twice a day. A lean pup is not a bad thing and is very normal in many pointing breeds.

What is needed for proper growth and development is getting the proper nutrients from the food. I am a huge fan of adding PROZYME digestive enzymes to each meal. Only 1/4 tsp per cup of food. Make a huge difference in many dogs.

Many times dry foods just don't excite the taste buds of some pups. So you have to liven the food up a little.
Many times just adding some slightly warm water to the food can entice a dog to eat a pre measured portion. I have also added 2 Tbl sps. of low sodium chicken or beef broth from the market with a little water. Never had a dog turn that down.

[dreamerofdreams]

I'm feeding Pro Plan, and she usually eats about 1.5-2 cups per day. If she finishes what's in her bowl before the ten minutes is up, I give her some more. She's about 20lbs at five months.

I'm probably just paranoid but the last few days she's been totally ignoring the morning feeding and going to town on the evening feeding.

[MikeB]

What breed is your pup? I can't really tell by the picture posted. Looks like a Beagle???

Is that Pro Plan Performance or Growth? 3 to 4 cups of Growth or Performance is a lot of food per day.

[ezzy333]

What breed is your pup? I can't really tell by the picture posted. Looks like a Beagle???

Is that Pro Plan Performance or Growth? 3 to 4 cups of Growth or Performance is a lot of food per day.

The pic is a Brittany and he clearly stated he is feeding 1 1/2 to 2 cups per day. sounds about right to me but like I said don't change anything other than cut the feed back slightly to see if the appetite comes back for both feedings. If not continue to offer the feed but don't get upset if it only eats part of the feed.

Ezzy

[Fireside]

I would continue to offer the food twice a day. Give her 10 minutes and pick up anything not eaten.

As a reference, I have two adult female Brittanys and I feed taste of the Wild. They each get 1.5 cups per day (in the evening) and maintain their weight very nicely. One of them is an oversize rescue that weighs in at 42 lbs and the other is a very petite 32 lbs. Any more food than that, they will put on weight. They both look and feel good, get LOTS of exercise and are lovin' life!

I also have a 2 year old male that gets 2.5 cups a day and doesn't care any spare weight at all. He weighs 36 lbs, runs like the wind and seldom slows down to a walk unless he is in the house.

#4 is a puppy... 11 weeks old and alternates between full steam ahead and crashed! She gets 1.5 cups of dry and 2/3 can of TOTW wet a day, split into two feedings. Most days she eats most of it, some days all, and some days picks at it... she is going thru normal growth phases as she should be.

At 6 months your pup is still growing and going thru the normal phases as well. One day they are starving and eat everything in sight, the next day the just pick at the food... and you will swear some mornings, that they have grown overnight! Children react the exact same way... it's perfectly normal... just relax and enjoy the ride!!

[dreamerofdreams]

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

[pippa01]

There are some general feeding habits that are must for every dog regardless of breed.
Some of the rules can be listed below:
1. In feeding mature pets, the less they eat, compatible with keeping them in sound condition, the healthier they'll be and the longer they'll live.
2. They should have a complete and balanced diet.
3. When bones are eaten and digested they form a light-colored hard bowel movement that is usually difficult to pass, which is a good reason for not feeding bones.

[Duckdog81]

I just switched at a little over two years. Up until now my dog has been like yours and sort of a free feeder, and it always worked well for both of us, even during hunting season. Now he has suddenly wanted to turn into the notorious pig of a lab, so I've had to cut the availability of food. That may change to 2 smaller meals though, since now he is getting gassy.
What I'm saying is figure out what works for both of you. Knowing she has another meal coming probably keeps her from feeling the need to pig out in the am. Just make sure you are keeping track of her intake so you can watch for drastic changes, and her weight.

[ultracarry]

I fed 2x a day until 5 months. If I put food down now and its not gone within 5 minutes I will pick it up.