As the title says, for practical reasons (managing our walks), I'd like to move from three to two meals a day with my puppy, who will be 7 and a half months old soon.
Up until now, he's been eating before his walks and we've been waiting at least a good half hour before heading out, plus about ten minutes of walking on the lead just to give him a bit more time to digest without any frantic running around.
He has a massive appetite, so I'm not sure he'll cope with going the whole day without anything to eat, especially as we go for 'long' walks morning, noon, and night, so I was wondering:
- should I skip the lunchtime walk (just a quick toilet break and 5 minutes of fresh air instead) and make the morning and evening ones longer instead?
I tried it for the first time today and he seemed starving all afternoon. 🤦 But maybe it's a bit too soon to tell?
- is there a specific age when it's easier to switch from three to two meals?
- is it better to do it gradually, for example by reducing the lunchtime meal over a week so he adapts more easily?
- has anyone tried reducing the number of meals and then ended up going back to three, and if so, for what reasons?
Thanks for any advice! ;)
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Yeah, it depends on the dog and what they're eating. It seems quite logical to me that dry food, especially if it contains grains, would take longer to digest than wet food or a BARF diet.
But still, whether digestion takes 4 hours or 15 hours, what’s the point of that "half-hour safety window"? Does half an hour really make any difference in a cycle that lasts several hours? I'm not so sure.
When it comes to digestion times, there’s so much conflicting info out there that you can get confused really quickly—well, I do anyway! :-(
On average, vets say 6 to 7 hours for dry food, but other vets reckon it’s more like 11 to 15 hours.
In the raw feeding community, they also say it takes longer for dry food and is much quicker with a BARF diet...
I’d read that wet food takes less time to digest than dry food. A dog might digest wet food in about four hours, whereas dry food could take eight hours for the same journey.
And then there’s the time spent eating, which is when digestion starts... and there again, all dogs are different...
With Volka, who was on dry food, she was like a hoover—gone in 15 or 20 seconds. I remember back in 2004 I used to put a tennis ball in her bowl to slow her down, my poor Vovo. After that, I’d put her dry food in a large frying pan or play hide-and-seek with it around the house...
🙄
With home-cooked meals, she took longer to eat. As for raw feeding, except for the first day when she just wolfed down a chicken leg right away because she was so shocked to be given raw meat—she was so surprised and delighted (like a shark!)—her first meal actually sent a shiver down my spine (oops). I ended up posting on the raw feeding forum in a total panic... a proper beginner! Ha ha.
On average, it took her a good 6 minutes... and sometimes longer for meaty bones.
Oxane, my third raw-fed dog, takes less than 2 minutes; she’s a typical greedy Labrador... unless there are veggies she’s not keen on 😈.
In any case, depending on the dog, it can be a bit of a headache sometimes...
I'll admit, my paranoia about bloat was a big part of why I rushed to cut down the number of meals as well :-)
Because my girl was a proper whirlwind until recently (she’s settled down a bit now) and I wasn't comfortable with the idea of her dinner doing somersaults in her tummy.
And I’ve got to say, the advice about leaving a 30-45 minute gap around meal times seems pretty pointless to me, considering the stomach is working for several hours (apparently it takes 7 to 15 hours for 'gastric emptying' depending on what the dog eats). So it makes me feel much better to let her digest everything overnight when she’s properly resting.
Hi Fleur,
I’ve gradually moved OOkipa, who’s 8 months tomorrow, onto 2 meals a day this month...
I’m giving him 1/3 in the morning and 2/3 in the evening, instead of three equal portions.
He doesn’t seem too bothered by it, to be honest.
It means that during his midday walk—which is usually his most 'energetic' one—there’s less risk of bloat... because I must admit, he’s very greedy and scoffs his food in no time at all.
At lunchtime, I often give him his Dentastix to chew on after our walk, once I’m heading back to work...
For the transition, I took a good week over it, only giving half a portion at lunch and one and a half in the evening... but maybe I was overthinking it.
Mind you, he still gets quite a few treats as rewards during our walks anyway!
That makes sense, I can stick to three meals a day since I’m at home, especially while he’s still a puppy. Once he’s an adult, the portions are smaller anyway, so I’ll see how it goes then.
Hi everyone, don't overthink it ;-)
Hi Fleur
Yes, you can gradually reduce the portions to get them used to two meals...
Regarding lunchtime, as long as it's not intense exercise or jumping, the walk can stay the same...
Hi Myma
If you're able to do three meals, definitely go for it. There’s no rule that says you have to switch to two bowls at six months... or even one later on... it all depends on your pup's breed (and that applies to dogs on dry food too).
For working or active dogs, trainers actually recommend it... and a vet friend suggested it for Volka, my first Lab...
For large breeds, it's better for their digestion and helps prevent things like bloat or a twisted stomach...
For senior dogs, you can even go back to four meals for their comfort...
For my girls, I wait about 45 minutes after coming back from a walk or a swim before putting their bowls down.
My parents' Golden is coming over for the holidays; she's over five now (she's on a raw BARF diet). She's on two meals plus breakfast ;-) (that's my mum for you—her dog gets a little bit of toasted, buttered crusty bread).
Oxane, my Lab, who is seven months old today ;-) is on three meals. 7:00 am is her main one with meat and fish. In winter, we walk at 9:30 am. Her midday meal is her lightest so she's ready for her active walk around 2:00 pm (45 minutes or more depending on how she feels). At 5:00 pm it's swimming (for an hour, even in winter). Her evening bowl is around 7:00/7:30 pm, then she's out in the garden whenever she likes from 8:00 pm, with a final trot outside at 10:00 or 11:00 pm.
(That doesn't stop her waking me at 1:50 am for a quick wee and to listen to the local hounds baying—she loves that night-time attraction...)
I think she'll stay on three meals; it's doable for me because I'm at home...
If I had to go back to work, I'd have to switch her raw feeding to twice a day... but I'd do it gradually so she doesn't end up with a rumbling tummy ;-)
👎
I’m going to be in the same boat as you soon. I’ve been told that once they hit 6 months, you’re supposed to switch to two meals a day.
The thing is, my boy is really food-motivated too, so I’m not sure how he’s going to take it.
Especially since the daily allowance will be split into two instead of three, meaning the portions will be bigger. I’m worried it might be too much in one go (he’s a big dog, so it’ll be about 0.6 lbs at each meal), which seems like quite a lot.
I’m going to be in the same boat as you soon. I’ve been told that once they hit 6 months, you’re supposed to switch to two meals a day.
The thing is, my boy is really food-motivated too, so I’m not sure how he’s going to take it.
Especially since the daily allowance will be split into two instead of three, meaning the portions will be bigger. I’m worried it might be too much in one go (he’s a big dog, so it’ll be about 0.6 lbs at each meal), which seems like quite a lot.
At 7 or 8 months old, you can start changing the feeding routine by cutting down the portions of one of the meals, but the full transition shouldn’t really happen until they’re about a year old, given your dog’s mixes.
So, it’s good that you’re moving from three meals down to two now, as the end goal is usually to get down to one meal a day.
Ideally, you should feed your dog 30 minutes before taking them out; this gives the food time to settle and helps prevent gastric torsion (bloat), which can be a risk for larger dogs.
Don’t feed them after a walk, as it goes against the natural way their digestive system works.
After reading so many posts on here about what people feed their dogs, I'd started thinking, "Hang on, maybe I’m depriving her without even realising it." But no.
I give her marrow bones quite regularly—nearly one a week at the moment—but every day would be too much.
