16 replies to this topic

[~*Regina*~]

Would feeding a dog 1 meal a day be ok, she is 35lbs and eats 1 1/2-2 cups a day. She has it split into 2 meals now but to make my life a little easier I was thinking of giving 1 meal for dinner which is Blue Buffalo and a biscuit in the morning for her "breakfast".
Thanks!

[Sue R]

I don't think it's an issue either way you choose.

The far-distant ancestors of dogs were adapted to eat when food was available and go without when it wasn't. In other words, when prey was caught, they gorged. The more recent ancestors of dogs have often had to be adaptable to eat when they could, either by catching prey or scavenging.

I have known people whose dogs work long, hard days and they feed once a day in the evening. My dogs happen to eat twice a day. The only issue I would see is the dog that just can't (or won't) eat a larger meal once a day versus two smaller meals a day.

Give it a try and see how your dog does on a new schedule. It may or may not work for you.

Best wishes!

[Shetlander]

I don't think it's an issue either way you choose.

I agree. There are different schools of thought, but I think it comes down to personal preference in most cases. I like feeding two meals but I don't see the problem with one meal a day. Puppies up to a certain age need more than one meal but I'm at a blissful forgetfulness stage of (my "puppy' is turning 7 years old next month ) of when they can go to one meal.

[juliepoudrier]

I *prefer* to field one meal a day and have never had problems doing that. Some of my dogs are now fed twice a day for various reasons, mainly having to do with medical issues (epi dog should have a more consistent level of blood sugar, the two on doxy need to have their twice-a-day meds with meals, the elderly and the picky can't get enough in them with just one meal). I would *love* to go entirely back to one meal a day!

J.

[Gideon's girl]

I've always fed adult dogs one meal a day until Gideon. I offer food twice a day and he might eat every day and a half. Oh well. Dogs that need to eat a lot for their size, that scarf their food, have certain medical conditions or medication may need to eat multiple times a day. For the rest it's a matter of preference.

[~*Regina*~]

Thanks everyone!
I actually tried this morning, I gave her a biscuit and she wouldnt stop following me around the house!! I did eventually give in and fed her. The biggest problem im going to have is getting her out of the routine im guessing.

[Carson Crazies]

Thanks everyone!
I actually tried this morning, I gave her a biscuit and she wouldnt stop following me around the house!! I did eventually give in and fed her. The biggest problem im going to have is getting her out of the routine im guessing.

This would be why I feed mine twice per day. I'm a total sucker, and they know it. In the event that I skip a meal they're pretty sure they're all withering away to nothigness. Certainly they're on the very brink of total starvation, and if perhaps they lie outside of the dog room door (where I feed them) and look at me mournfully while groaning in dismay I might feed them after all.

Sadly, it works.

[ChantalB]

Mine eats at night, with treats thoughout the day. He usually won't settle down enough to even eat a meal till late evening.

[geonni banner]

I got into the habit of feeding twice a day when I had a very deep-chested Doberwoman. I was trying to avoid bloat and/or torsion. Prior to that I always fed once a day, in the early evening with no problems. As someone else said, dogs are opportunistic feeders - always hungry, but usually OK with one meal a day.

[Ooky]

I feed Odin treats (ie no garauntee) during the day, and one meal at night. I don't like breakfast myself really so it doesn't seem that weird to me. He DOES like food and will absolutely eat at any time though.

[Rave]

I feed once a day around 9:30-10pm. When I used to free feed my first two dogs, they chose to eat after I had gone to bed and usually only once a day. So when I had to go to scheduled feedings, I kept them on a similar schedule to what they had chosen and have used that for all dogs since. Since my dogs are so active in the evening, a late night feeding works best.

One meal works great, much simpler for all. The only exception of course is puppies, but they are eventually weaned down to one meal a day. If I have to give meds in the morning with food, a dog biscuit works fine for this. They don't need an entire meal for meds that have to be taken with food.

[KatieP]

I feed my puppy three times a day, but she is only a puppy and she eats small meals 3 times a day.. Currently, she is on the Salmon Taste of the Wild and she tolerates and likes that better than the Venison/Bison. Anyway, as a dog owner all of my life, I only always fed my mid to large size dogs once a day in the evening when we ate. My last dog a Shepherd mix, lived to be 15 years old. Some dogs are hungry in the morning though, my mom's little Westie always wanted her breakfast in the a.m. and her dinner at night. Maybe because smaller dogs have smaller bellies. I think a mid to larger breed dog would adjust well to being fed once a day. That is just my opinion and it worked well for me.

[Laurae]

I feed three of mine once a day in the evenings. I admit, this is partly for my convenience. I feed raw and besides being easier to do it once a day, some foods, like turkey necks, are hard to divide into smaller portions. However, I also feed in the evening because I often work my dogs in the mornings on my way to work, and I don't really want them running around on a full stomach. This is especially the case at trials, when they're running early in the day--running on full stomachs with the added excitement of a sheepdog trial can result in diarrhea.

The exception is Meg. She is 25 lean pounds of energy, yet she eats as much as 38-pound Ike. When I fed her only in the evenings, she was puking bile in the mornings some days, so I started dividing her meals into portions of one-third in the mornings and two-thirds in the evenings. That seems to be working well for her, and the other dogs continue to do just fine eating only in the evenings.

[simba]

Would feeding a dog 1 meal a day be ok, she is 35lbs and eats 1 1/2-2 cups a day. She has it split into 2 meals now but to make my life a little easier I was thinking of giving 1 meal for dinner which is Blue Buffalo and a biscuit in the morning for her "breakfast".
Thanks!

It is possibly a risk factor for bloat, but unless your dog's at high risk (say, gorges food, very big, eats from raised bowls etc) I wouldn't say it's a huge issue.

There are so many other things that could happen, you have to draw the line about worrying somewhere.

[mbc1963]

Second here on the "feed twice a day to avoid bile vomit from the empty stomach." My dog seems fine as long as he gets two small meals a day - and we haven't had a problem with the bile since I started it seven years ago.

Mary

[jomur]

I have feed only one meal per day ,normally at 4:30-5:00 pm after the dogs have been taken for a run.My main reason for one feeding at this time is because of trials,and travelling.The trials are normally finished by that time so it is convenient.While travelling ,I usually stop for the day about 4:00 pm so again convenient.Only one dog doesn't finish her meal in the evening.I remove it and feed again the next day the normal amount--2 cups of Kibble(I feed IAMS as it is available both in Canada and the USA and my dogs don't get diarrhoea while travelling).This amount also maintains their weight along with exercise.If I notice a weight gain,I reduce the amount slightly.I also supply plenty of water daily.

[olivehill]

From the time our first dog was a pup she liked to eat at night. About 9 pm, sometimes a bit earlier in the winter, so that's when we fed. All the dogs that have come into the house over the years since have all done well on that schedule so we've never changed. We've also been fortunate to have dogs who self-regulate pretty well, so we just put out bowls of food at night, they eat their fill and then I pick up what's left in the morning and put the bowls away. I've tried leaving the bowls out throughout the day -- mostly out of forgetfulness -- but they don't touch it.

They exception is the 9 week old puppy, who seems to do best with a couple meals and a little food throughout the day. Mostly because he's growing like a weed and constantly running and playing. I can't imagine him getting enough to keep in good condition in just one sitting. For him, I put out a bowl in the morning, he eats his fill and I pick it up. He then has a Kong Wobbler filled with food that he plays with throughout the day, but doesn't get any significant portion of his diet from it. It holds 1/2 cup of food and I refill it every or every other day. And then he gets a bowl at night with the other dogs, too.