one meal per day

[majestic]

My co-worker told me that her Vet suggested her to feed her dogs one main meal per day to prevent being overweighed. She normallys give them treats such as biscuits during the day, then a main meal at night. In your opinion, is this good especially with an older dog -6 years up?

Thanks

[Dash&LeoKC]

I think an adult dog, depending on size is fine on 1 meal a day. My Inlaws husky is 1 meal a day and she is just fine. Like if she gets 3 cups a day she can split it in 2 meals. KWIM?

Taylor

[PatchO'Pits]

Makes no sense to me as splitting the meals up and cutting down on treats would help burn fat more effiently IMO that's coming from a fitness trainers stand point though and not a vet. I don't really agree with what most vets say about nutrirtion in general.. I find them lacking in basic knowlege as it doesn't seem to be a focus in their training

[amstaff]

i agree with patch o' pits. vets just dont know about nutrition. the problem is, they dont tell their clients theyve had no training.

i currently feed my dog one meal a day. but, i used to feed my other dogs 2 meals. no matter how ive fed my dogs, ive never had them become overweight. if they plump up, i feed less, if they look thin, i bump up their food. easy.

[majestic]

thank you all for your replies. I've just started feeding him once a da - it's still day 1 - I hope he will cope with the change soon.

[PatchO'Pits]

thank you all for your replies. I've just started feeding him once a da - it's still day 1 - I hope he will cope with the change soon. have you also cut back on the amount if not just changing the feeding schedule will have little to do with it

[Jerica]

I only feed my dogs once a day, I am in college and can't possibly get up early enough to walk the mile to their kennels and feed them in the morning. They do great on one meal a day and are not overweight. Of course they get a mile walk a day (something like a mile or so).

[PatchO'Pits]

Interesting link
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/overweight.html

[Squawksx3]

Just playing devils advocate here ;) .... its no secret that breeders and vets have been at odds since the dawn of time. I had a German Shepherd and had breeders tell me he was grossly overweight.... I also had two vets tell me he was at a wonderful weight and dont put him on a diet. Just make sure the dogs get sufficient food... I've seen dogs become food aggressive when they dont get enough.

[PatchO'Pits]

Just playing devils advocate here ;) .... its no secret that breeders and vets have been at odds since the dawn of time. I had a German Shepherd and had breeders tell me he was grossly overweight.... I also had two vets tell me he was at a wonderful weight and dont put him on a diet. Just make sure the dogs get sufficient food... I've seen dogs become food aggressive when they dont get enough. Absolutely

[JustJo]

Another important point is that it is definitely NOT recommended to feed meal a day to bloat prone breeds such as Great Danes, mastiffs, etc. The theory is that 1 large meal a day as opposed to 2 -3 smaller ones increasing the likelyhood of bloating. Personally I have let Bullwinkle self-feed his entire life and his weight has always been ideal (except for right now - he is underweight due to surgery). I don't recommend that for many dogs though.

[Squawksx3]

Jo.... I had a Lab/Australian Shepherd years ago that I free fed. He got 1/2 can of wet food in the morning and dry food all day long whenever he wanted. He kept an ideal weight... was very active and lived to the age of 16. We lost him to bone cancer. I also do not recommend free feeding .. totally depends on the dog ;) .

[Capersmommy]

Wow, I feel funny now, lol. I feed my chihuahua about 3 times a day lol. But since he got hurt he doesnt want to eat that much. But I only give him a small handful every time I feed him. And he's 4 months old, so :)

[epundt]

Try Pedigree Weight Loss dry dog food-Really works-my dogs love it. The one that was overweight lost 5 lbs in about a month.

[majestic]

Wow, I feel funny now, lol. I feed my chihuahua about 3 times a day lol. But since he got hurt he doesnt want to eat that much. But I only give him a small handful every time I feed him. And he's 4 months old, so :)

From the pic of the chihuahua, I can see his round stomach :D. I read that we're supoosed to give puppies 3 meals per day - just make sure not to overfeed them

[majestic]

Try Pedigree Weight Loss dry dog food-Really works-my dogs love it. The one that was overweight lost 5 lbs in about a month.

I will try some diet food on my dog after he gets adjusted to his new meal schedule, potty time, new place, etc....thanks for your info.

[pitmommie]

so is it bad to leave a bowl of food and water and let the dog feed when she is hungry? I have let Diamond self feed since she was 5 months and she has been normal weight. I heard that you are supposed to feed a puppy a cup and half of food a day, but I mix dry food with an egg every morning in her bowl its a large metal mixing bowl and its usual empty by the end of the day. then we start it over the next day same routine she gets her milkbone treats throughout the day if she's done something good for mommie or if the kids sneak her one they are like her favorite dog cookies. Anyways my question was is it bad to do that just letting her graze throughout the day should I have it more structured than that? One benefit would probably be she would have less poop huh?

[majestic]

so is it bad to leave a bowl of food and water and let the dog feed when she is hungry? I have let Diamond self feed since she was 5 months and she has been normal weight. I heard that you are supposed to feed a puppy a cup and half of food a day, but I mix dry food with an egg every morning in her bowl its a large metal mixing bowl and its usual empty by the end of the day. then we start it over the next day same routine she gets her milkbone treats throughout the day if she's done something good for mommie or if the kids sneak her one they are like her favorite dog cookies. Anyways my question was is it bad to do that just letting her graze throughout the day should I have it more structured than that? One benefit would probably be she would have less poop huh?

if I had the food out, my baby would eat til his stomach blows up :). He used to be fed twice a day from the previous owner. I switch him to once a day - main meal in the evening, and some snack in early morning. This is not a puppy; he's an adult - One meal per day for him is fine. He goes potty twice per day - once before I go to work; and another right after I get home from work. This works great for me and him. :)

[reeskujo]

I feed my Akita once a day in the late morning.Someday's he'll eat it all pretty quickly other times it may take him until the end of the night to finish it.It all depends on how active he's been and how hungry he is.It seems to work great for him.If he eats it all in the morning I'll give him treats throughout the day but if he's being slow about finishing it I won't give him any until he's finished his food.He's 1yr old and 106lbs with more to go,so this apparently works well for him.