# Feeding schedule



## XTOL (Jun 9, 2010)

When I got Abby from the breeder she was on a 3 meal a day schedule.
I kept up with that and intended on weaning her to a twice a day
schedule around the 6 month mark.

That didnt work out so well. Abby is of the opinion that any growing
GSD should be fed no less than 25 times a day. With plenty of treats
in between meals. Bottomless pit syndrome.

So we have kept the 3 a day schedule. At this point she is pretty used
to the routine. Is there really any compelling reason to switch to two
a day? My old GSD Mikey did just fine on one meal a day plus a evening
snack. Suited him for 13 years...

Abby is now 8 months BTW...


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I switched Stosh to twice a day about Abby's age and he seemed fine with it, but then he's never been a big eater. Now at 12 mos, he's that same bottomless pit! So I give him a 'snack' of dry food at noon hour and another one when we go to bed and it's finished before all the lights are out. He had lost quite a bit of weight and muscle mass since the shooting, so I figure he needs the extra right now. Abby went through a tough spay so she may need it to rebuild too.


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## XTOL (Jun 9, 2010)

Well Abby has always been a bottomless pit. She will pretty much
eat anything. I sometimes think if I put down a bowl of gravel she
would scarf it down and beg for more.

She did lose a couple of pounds right after the spay but she is up
to 62 pounds now. She is very tall...23 inches at the shoulder and
has a long lean frame. Still a little boney in the hips and along the spine.

What I was wondering is if there is really any difference between feeding
twice or three times a day assuming the same total amount is being fed.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Rocky still eats three times per day. It works with my schedule and he like it so I don't see any reason to switch. As long as the total amount is the same I don't see any reason to cut back to 2x per day if you don't want to and your schedule doesn't require it.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I will feed puppies three times a day until about six months of age when they start to slow their growth and begin to gain weight then switch to twice a day feeding. If you have a sick or underweight dog, then I would feed three or four times a day. 

Looking at your puppy you have to decide if she's at a good weight, underweight, or overweight. Just because your dog thinks she's always hungry, doesn't mean you need to give in to that. 

If she's truly too thin and you are still feeding her a ton, then go ahead and continue feeding three times a day. If she's at a perfect weight, eating a normal amount, and just has a ton of food drive, it's up to you if you want to feed twice or three times.

The reason for feeding more often is the dog is eating a lot for her age and size due to growth, sickness, or being underweight, by helping with increasing absorption of food and possibly decreasing the chance of bloat.


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## XTOL (Jun 9, 2010)

Elaine said:


> If she's at a perfect weight, eating a normal amount, and just has a ton of food drive, it's up to you if you want to feed twice or three times.


I think that describes Abby pretty well. She seems to be doing very well
on 3 a day. So we will probably stick with that as long as there is no
problem with doing so.

She is 62 pounds now at 8 months and is expected to end up around
75 pounds which is what her mother weighs. In fact she looks so much
like her mom its scary.


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