Feed One or Twice a Day?

[on:]

We are trying to get on schedule with our two new dogs. One is a Jack Russell and the other is a PapiPoo. Should you feed once or twice a day?

[Reply #1 on:]

How old are your dogs? Most people feed their dogs twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

[Reply #2 on:]

Feeding twice a day will help even out your dog's metabolism and help with any problems gaining weight. Personally, since I'm able to, I feed my adult dogs 3 times a day.

[Reply #3 on:]

i always fed my adult dogs once a day,, and not saying antyhing agaist what you said about the weight, but just saying that my guys never gained extra weight from it.. they only time they would gain weight would be the iwinter because i did'nt get them out much, then they would lose it comes summer.


puppies on the other hand, have to feed several small meals a day
jean

[Reply #4 on:]

I can understand this, all dogs are different.

[Reply #5 on:]

right, personally i don't see what the difference if [no saracism meant to you] just saying.. i mean as long as they get the amount of food they need right..

but everyone always said, adults should only eat once a day..  ya know, now that i think about it, maybe i'll keep the puppy eating twice a day when he's older,

jean

[Reply #6 on:]

Just thinking about the patients I see at work, some dogs just can't handle the "Grazing" concept. I know clients who can fill up a bowl of food and give it to their dog in the morning, and it lasts all day because they pick at it... yet on the other hand, dogs like my Tank will engorge themselves with as much food as they possibly can, as quickly as they can. Think of it this way... it'd be hard for us to eat a huge meal once during the day. It would make us feel ill for a little while, then we'd be hungry again in a few hours just the same. Generally, the longer you go without a meal, the more your metabolism slows down, making you more vulnerable to gain weight. This is the same in dogs.

[Reply #7 on:]

We feed twice a day also.  Once right before I eat breakfast and they come in for their am outing and while we are preparing our evening meal. 
This also cuts down on the wanting to join us lol!!

[Reply #8 on:]

My vet has told me to make sure the dog has food and water all the time, they will eat what they need and will go back when they need more. This way the dog doesn't feel like he has to eat at a particular time and it will allow the dog to maintain a proper weight. 

[Reply #9 on:]

Jessica, based on my experiences at work and all the vets I have worked with, I would have to (respectfully, of course!) disagree. Actually this is how a lot of dogs become overweight and even obese. Some dogs can certainly maintain a good weight but some can't. The same actually goes with most indoor cats. People are very convinced that a cat can handle free-feeding but that's why we see so many cats that are extremely overweight with a relatively high occurance of weight-onset diabetes.

I can't stress enough that it's important to watch your dog's behavior and weight and determine what will be best for him/her because all animals are truly individually different. However by all means, fresh clean water should definitely be available at all times.