# Kira's eating habits are changing??



## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

Kira is approaching 8 months.

The past couple weeks, and for the first time since I've had her, Kira hasn't touched her morning meal. She would sniff it, and just walk away.

She's been on 2.25 cups of TOTW with a couple tablespoons of Natural balance canned food in either liver, beef, or lamb mixed well, twice a day.
She would always lick her meals dry, and look for more.

I tried removing the wet, with same results.

So as of the past week, she's only getting 2.5 cups of food a day. And will only eat at night.

According to her TOTW food chart, she should be eating about 3-4 cups a day.

Could it be just a natural desire to eat 1 meal a day?

Is 8 months too young for 1 meal a day?


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

Rocket has never shown great enthusiasm for his morning meal. Once in a while he does, usually if I don't feed him until 9 am. I just pick it up after half hour, and he evens himself out.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I've had some dogs that only ate one meal a day by THEIR choice. Can't remember how old they were when they started that though. I wouldn't worry about the amount she is eating as long as her weight is good.

Siren eats TOTW dry only, she weighs 75lbs and only eats 2 2/3 cups Per day. (2 meals of 1 1/3 cups.).


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## Mary&Stella (Jan 1, 2011)

We were all about feeding Stella twice a day, at 11:00 and then 6ish, over the last month or so she decided not to touch her 11:00am food would just ignire it, so we have been on one meal a day at around 4:30 - 5:00, so far this seems to work out great she is reallz enthusiatic about supper now. All my previous dog were once a day easters, so maybe its a natural progrssion for some? BTW Stella is almost 16 months.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

RocketDog said:


> Rocket has never shown great enthusiasm for his morning meal. Once in a while he does, usually if I don't feed him until 9 am. I just pick it up after half hour, and he evens himself out.



Ok this doesn't seem like it's so bad. 


BlackGSD said:


> I've had some dogs that only ate one meal a day by THEIR choice. Can't remember how old they were when they started that though. I wouldn't worry about the amount she is eating as long as her weight is good.
> 
> Siren eats TOTW dry only, she weighs 75lbs and only eats 2 2/3 cups Per day. (2 meals of 1 1/3 cups.).


OK, that's pretty much what she's eating.

LOL... They are such PIA's


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

Mary&Stella said:


> We were all about feeding Stella twice a day, at 11:00 and then 6ish, over the last month or so she decided not to touch her 11:00am food would just ignire it, so we have been on one meal a day at around 4:30 - 5:00, so far this seems to work out great she is reallz enthusiatic about supper now. All my previous dog were once a day easters, so maybe its a natural progrssion for some? BTW Stella is almost 16 months.


Hi, I didn't expect this at 8 months. that's my only concern.

Yesterday, she skipped morning meal, and we had obedience class at 6pm. I didn't feed her at 5pm, because there was a chance that I would run her in agility, and I don't feel it's a see practice to feed her, then run her. I worry about bloat in GSD's.

So she ended up eating dinner at 8pm. 

I'll try to stick to a 5 pm meal, and eliminate mornings for a while.


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## Mary&Stella (Jan 1, 2011)

Stella used to turn her nose up at her lunch meal quite often before and we would sit and basically hand feed her out of worry,.. now seeing her eat with great gusto watching me prepare her dinner is much less of a worry, we simply increased her evening meal quantity and keep an eye on her figure! She did seem to be getting a wee bit over weight ! Sometimes her dinners are a bit later or earlier depending on what is going on, I also find it easier to keep her quiet in the evneing after her meal than earlier in the day. I too worry about bloat, but funny enough never worried about it with my old dog, a dobie, sometimes I think too muck reading about things is bad, it turns us all into worrying parents over our dogs, I swear I did nto worrz as much about my child ! ( had him before the internet!!!). Just go with what works for you and your dog. (she is really beautiful BTW)


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

Mary&Stella said:


> Stella used to turn her nose up at her lunch meal quite often before and we would sit and basically hand feed her out of worry,.. now seeing her eat with great gusto watching me prepare her dinner is much less of a worry, we simply increased her evening meal quantity and keep an eye on her figure! She did seem to be getting a wee bit over weight ! Sometimes her dinners are a bit later or earlier depending on what is going on, I also find it easier to keep her quiet in the evneing after her meal than earlier in the day. I too worry about bloat, but funny enough never worried about it with my old dog, a dobie, sometimes I think too muck reading about things is bad, it turns us all into worrying parents over our dogs, I swear I did nto worrz as much about my child ! ( had him before the internet!!!). Just go with what works for you and your dog. (she is really beautiful BTW)


Thank you.


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

Mine go through spells of not eating breakfast but eventually go back to it. When they don't eat breakfast I still keep the amount split for dinner (as in I don't double the dinner amount). Eating too much at one meal is on my bloat watch list so I will never do one meal a day intentionally.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

At her age, she likely doesn't need a much food as she did as a baby puppy.

When Siren was just over 6 months old, she started to get a little to heavy. At the time, she was eating 3 times a day. I cut out the "lunch" meal {and did NOT increase the amount of her other 2 meals.} and she went back to her ideal condition. (She is the type that would eat until she exploded if given the chance.)

If Kira were mine, I would feed her less and feed her twice a day. Half of what she is currently eating at each meal. If she doesn't eat breakfast, pick it up and feed the same amount at dinner time. Don't double the dinner feeding if she doesn't eat breakfast. You may be able to get her to eat 2 Meals that way. With as much as she is getting, she may not be hungry in the morning. If she gets less at night, that may change. 

IMO it is much better for them to eat at least 2 meals a day if they are active.

Also, I think NOT feeding her a 5 if you have class at 6 is a good idea. How many days a week do you have class?


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## Mary&Stella (Jan 1, 2011)

I also agree not to double the portion of food into one massive chow down ! But I also think that one meal a day is sufficient. Also feeding before excerise well no not that either that why our dinner time can be anywhere from 4:30 to 6:00.
We did try just puttin down her kibble at lunch ( guilty feelings about not having a noon meal) and she just sniffed and went on with her other pastimes !!!
Eventually we all find the right balance for us and our puppies.


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

Koda eats once a day, supper. It was the same thing,, first he refused breakfast then stated refusing lunch. He is fine.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Stosh went through the same thing- their bodies and needs change as they grow. I let him go a while without breakfast then offered it again and he decided he needed it. Now that he's 2 yrs old, he's a 2 meal a day plus a nighttime snack eater. You have always been a very observant and intuitive owner so I'm sure you'll pick up on her signals if she needs to eat more.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

It's 1:30, and she's walking around the kitchen like a hungry wolf ..LOL

Now she's sitting by the fridge, giving me her little "speak" bark.. She's hungry.

I saved her morning meal, I'm wondering if I should offer it?


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I would offer it to her and feed her normal dinner.


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## Mary&Stella (Jan 1, 2011)

Go for it, we live & learn all the time, no dog is the same !!!!


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## RocketDog (Sep 25, 2011)

I'm too late, but here's what I would've done: used some of it for a training session.  That way she would've had something to tide her over, but still be hungry for the night's meal, and not doubling up will catch up with her and she'll regain interest in the morning meal.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Abby has never been a morning eater.
At 8 months their growth rate almost stops dead... it slows Waaay down.
So appetite goes down too. no biggie


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

RocketDog said:


> I'm too late, but here's what I would've done: used some of it for a training session.  That way she would've had something to tide her over, but still be hungry for the night's meal, and not doubling up will catch up with her and she'll regain interest in the morning meal.


I agree with this. I would NOT have fed a full meal in the middle of the day. (Personally I wouldn't have fed her at all as it is defeating the purpose.) She is teaching YOU. You should be teaching HER that she needs to eat at meal time. Your house is NOT an all day buffet where she can dictate when you feed her.(Unless that's how you want it to be.)

Of course she is your pup and you can do what ever you want, but I am having visions of you next post asking how to get her eat at mealtimes and not in between.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

BlackGSD said:


> I agree with this. I would NOT have fed a full meal in the middle of the day. (Personally I wouldn't have fed her at all as it is defeating the purpose.) She is teaching YOU. You should be teaching HER that she needs to eat at meal time. Your house is NOT an all day buffet where she can dictate when you feed her.(Unless that's how you want it to be.)
> 
> Of course she is your pup and you can do what ever you want, but I am having visions of you next post asking how to get her eat at mealtimes and not in between.


I agree 100%

I never fed her, because I was afraid that I was feeding into her. 
Instead, I gave her some treats and took her out back, and worked on her recall. 

At 6 pm she licked her bowl dry.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

When my boy was around the same age as Kira he would go on hunger strikes..it would drive my husband and I crazy. I fed him the same amount of food a day spread out over 3 meals. I would leave the bowl down for about 30 minutes then pick it up & feed the next meal as scheduled. 

This was right around the time I introduced raw and he never turned his nose up to that meal, but I knew that kibble would not be eliminated completely from his diet. 

What helped me was cutting out that mid day meal, he's down to two.

I grew up with a very southern papa & if you didn't eat something is wrong with you...funny how that transitioned to my dog? LOL

Anyway, he went back to eating all meals that were put in front of him


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## kitmcd (Aug 31, 2011)

Glad to have found this thread. Isa is just turning 8 months and for the last 2 or 3 weeks she has frequently refused her morning meal. She acts fine. I even took her to vet after the first 3 days of this as before she was such a fast eater that I had given her a "'slow feeder" bowl.

I'm still offering twice a day but about 1/3 of the time I have to throw out breakfast.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

Update:

The past week, she's back to licking her bowl, twice a day.

No one really knows what they're feeling, so I guess we need to learn to go with the flow.


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