# OK to feed 13 month old once daily now?



## Stonemoore (Oct 16, 2014)

Hi. I have been raw feeding my 94lb intact male for about 7 or 8 months now. I have always fed him twice daily but it occurred to me that now he is 13, almost 14 months I could likely switch to one feeding.  He is a *big*, gangly guy, and not done growing so he is still getting about 3 lbs per day and he is slim. (it took months of 3.75 lbs/day to keep him in any sort of body condition during the most rapid growth ) Is it ok for him to get that much food in one meal?

Finally, for those feeding once per day, do you prefer to feed a.m. or p.m. and why?

Thanks in advance.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Personally I feed twice a day, less chance of bloat and I feel more comfortable splitting the meal in half.

If the dog refuses to eat one of the meals, I'd switch but if they are still eating both I'd continue on with feeding twice a day.


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## Susan_GSD_mom (Jan 7, 2014)

Shade said:


> Personally I feed twice a day, less chance of bloat and I feel more comfortable splitting the meal in half.
> 
> If the dog refuses to eat one of the meals, I'd switch but if they are still eating both I'd continue on with feeding twice a day.


Same here--I feed twice daily their whole lives.

Susan


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## Stonemoore (Oct 16, 2014)

Phew. Ok. Yeah, that is one of the reasons I have just kept on feeding twice daily. He is such a big, deep-chested guy, eating a lot, I thought twice a day was a good idea. I just happened to be talking to someone the other day who thought I was nuts still feeding twice.


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## Cobe914 (Sep 29, 2014)

There's no health benefits to feeding once a day. Like others here I'll feed twice a day for the rest of my boy's life. Occasionally he gets a midday snack if we're super active


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

I feed once a day but only because both of my dogs at 8 months decided they didn't want their breakfast any more. 

I feed raw, and let me tell you, that made my life easier LOL ...


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## RachelK1 (Jul 26, 2013)

I would keep feeding twice daily, it will help prevent bloat. Just make sure your dog takes it easy an hour before and after eating as well.


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## Mikelia (Aug 29, 2012)

I feed raw once a day and my dogs do just fine. My boys eat 3-4lbs per meal and handle that fine as well.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

I think it's kind of a personal choice really. I feed twice a day. It's hard enough to get Xerxes to consistently eat at twice a day much less trying to get him to eat twice as much at one sitting.


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## newlie (Feb 12, 2013)

With Max, I a actually fed him three times a day, I was so scared of bloat. (New Mom Syndrome), With Newlie, twice a day. I know there are other factors as to why a dog gets bloat, but if I can do this one simple thing to help prevent it, why not?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Mikelia said:


> I feed raw once a day and my dogs do just fine. My boys eat 3-4lbs per meal and handle that fine as well.


wow, that's a huge portion! I also recommend 2 meals a day raw fed, it goes through my dogs faster and they'd be barfing bile if only fed once a day.


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## E.Hatch (Sep 24, 2013)

I feed once a day, ~2lbs


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## KootenayMutt (Jun 4, 2015)

I switched to one meal a day when breakfasts started to be picked at and then refused. 
I prefer one meal per day as larger pieces are easier to feed and take more work/chewing on her part.


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

I feed twice per day. No brainier since all the vet's recommend it to prevent bloat. A 2nd reason, be it human, dog or hamster - those blood sugar crashes between meals really suck....


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

If I feed once a day she'll always throw up bile when her stomach is empty. I feed her a tiny bit of kibble in the AM and the main raw meal at night after which she doesn't get any exercise anymore. I found that she is nice and content with a belly full of meat.


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## Persinette (Jan 31, 2015)

I think feeding twice a day to prevent bloat is a myth spread by vets when in reality:
1) most vets, when pressed, admit that very little is actually known about bloat. It is theorized bloat can be caused after eating then immediate exercise or by an overly full stomach, however many cases happen 'spontaneously' and the reason isn't discovered. I personally think it's tied to genetics, plain and simple.
2) most vets know very little about nutrition and suggest whatever kibble sponsored their program since nutrition is generally not covered in depth in most veterinary programs and big companies like Purina fund schools to get their products support from professionals and ultimately the pet market. Vets will generally suggest twice per day because that's what was suggested by the food companies.
3) I know a lot of working dog people who feed once per day to no ill effect. It's actually pretty common. Some dogs thrive on it. I know some people (and I don't necessarily agree with this) but go so far as to suggest a dog who can't subsist on once per day feedings has week genetics (again, not my words or personal perspective, but the opinion exists). Arguments have also been made (again, not sure I agree as dogs and wolves are quite different in many respects) that wolve's natural state is to gorge at one time, not regular meals. Dogs are generally pretty hardy and as humans we project our own preferences onto them.

Ultimately, I think it depends on the dog. Some dogs will spit bile if they don't eat twice a day at least, others do just fine. If you give lots of treats during training, that can also make a significant difference as far as staving off hunger goes (like the equivalent of a granola bar snack for us, haha). We all want our dogs to thrive, not just 'subsist', so find what works for you and your dog  If you're curious you could always try it.

If you do feed once a day, make sure it is far removed from your training time so the dog has food drive and isn't satiated would be my only 'rule' when it comes to feeding times.

Good luck! I certainly don't think sticking to two meals a day will do your dog any harm though, and if he likes that schedule, more power to you!


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## Mikelia (Aug 29, 2012)

onyx'girl said:


> wow, that's a huge portion! I also recommend 2 meals a day raw fed, it goes through my dogs faster and they'd be barfing bile if only fed once a day.


I know, right?! It took my a while to figure it out, but my dogs all eat towards the 3% body weight. Must be high metabolism country dogs or something lol. The breeder feeds raw (the same meats as I do) and her largest meal is 2.5lbs. Just over 3lbs is average for my boys, and sometimes a little more if they worked especially hard that day. The 13 months old small-ish bitch eats 2.5lbs and the pit bull and border collie cross eat 2lbs each. No one ever vomits bile though, so I'm happy.


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