Maisy is just over 6 months now and according to lots of info I have read, should be on 2 meals instead of 3 a day. I can foresee problems here, come lunchtime I will have a whiney hungry pup on my hands. Is it ok to still keep her on 3 meals or will she actually lose interest in food during the day as she gets older? (can't see that happening!) I would be interested to know anyone's experiences with this. Thanks.
My older dogs are three years old and they still get three "meal times" a day. Lunch is normally a raw chicken leg or similar, or sometimes a frozen kong. They actually get very little in their bowls, as most is fed as training treats, but giving them something at lunchtime helps to break the day up a bit more. Any advice to move to 2 meals is simply saying this is the age when your puppy can physically manage more food in one sitting, so it won't harm her to go from three to two meals. It doesn't mean you have to do it, though. I heard people say that their Labs became disinterested with lunch in time. It hasn't happened with my lot yet!
I know most people feed their dogs twice a day, but I still feed both mine three times a day. They get not more food just shared out over three meals. Fred 3 and Annie is coming up for 2. It is up to you.
I heard people say that their Labs became disinterested with lunch in time. It hasn't happened with my lot yet! [/QUOTE] These must be people that don't have labs themselves!
My puppy is almost 10 months and she has only gone down to 2 meals recently. It just evolved. She does have 3 kong’s spaced throughout the day though.
I gradually reduced the lunch time meal and split between morning and evening over a matter of weeks at 6 months and just introduced a chew at lunch time having deducted a quantity of kibble ration to allow for it.
We tried to gradually go from 3 meals to 2, but Ariel started throwing up a fair bit. We weren’t sure if it was too much at each sitting, or if she developed a reaction to cheese at the same time. So we went back to 3 meals and cut her off of cheese and she’s been fine ever since, but we still don’t know which of the two might have caused her to be sick.
My main worry was that increasing the size of each meal would be a bit much for her stomach at this age, but there is no worry about Maisy and her cheese - she loves it (it's also her magic word!), it would be a disaster if she could not eat it anymore.
@Shaz82 just gradually increase breakfast and dinner while reducing lunch. I add just 5g to each meal on a weekly basis with no problems.
We slowly changed from 3 meals to 2 at around 1 year old, but she still has a 'snack' I.e. Fish skin or frozen bone for lunch. It depends on what suits you and them.
I now have a different feeding problem! We have had a week away and I packed portions of Maisy's food for each meal, but after the first day she starting turning her nose up at it. This manic, greedy, can't get enough pup, suddenly refusing her meals? (She just as suddenly starting eating slowly/normally - rather than guzzling the lot in a minute - about a month ago, I took that as a good sign). I feed her Arden Grange Puppy/Junior large breed, she has other treats throughout the day. Thankfully she has not lost her appetite at all, she still gobbles down reward treats, cheese, meat slices, dentistix, bully sticks, filled kong etc. After sniffing her food she just walks off in a huff, not whining or begging or anything, that comes later when she is more hungry. I tried leaving it down thinking she would eat it if hungry, also feeding it from my hand which worked at first, not now though. I added water to it to soften it, that worked just once. Now I have to add wet food to it, a third of a can of Pedigree chum at the moment, I reduce the kibble a bit - she does eat some kibble by accident when she is picking out the meaty bits but also leaves about half. She is going to the loo as normal, still playful and bright, I don't think she is ill - just changed her taste. How should I do this? Try other dry foods or switch to wet? (I don't want to go the raw route). Any suggestions folks?
I've had a picky dog before (my lab/spaniel cross), and it was the bane of my life. In the end I found that putting some chicken stock or similar on top of the kibble to make it smell/taste better worked best.
Sounds like I could have written your post, we also feed arden grange to Max, and also stopped eating it for a bit, I mixed it with fish, chicken, gravy, tripe you name it i tried it and then gradually cut the additional down during the day and he eats two meals of his arden grange, breakfast and lunch and he gets chicken or tripe mixed in of an evening, I think he now knows that mummy only gives super scrummy food at night now, bless him, he is 16 weeks old, his breakfast can be down for at least a few hours until he eats it all, as can lunch he likes to snack on it, but dinner is literally wolfed down. Still only on 300gms a day as he has about 1/4 can of tripe mixed in or chicken with home made gravy.
It is weird how they go from ravenous beasts to picky fusspots so quickly, I was a bit worried Maisy was off her food but she still gobbles up treats and extra bits (and all the rubbish laying in the street!). Yesterday she ate breakfast as normal - usual kibble, nothing added - then I put lunch down and she walked off! I added a bit of Pedigree Chum, so she picked that out and left the rest. Working on the premise that no dog ever starved itself to death with food lying about, I left lunch down and lo and behold, at 4pm she gobbled the whole lot up no problems. I counted that as dinner and then she just had treats to even out her daily intake. I was thinking that maybe she just doesn't want lunch anymore and that 2 meals is enough but then today she was whining for lunch!
I heard people say that their Labs became disinterested with lunch in time. It hasn't happened with my lot yet! [/QUOTE] I know what I said before, but I think this has actually happened now! Also she is turning her nose up at breakfast and dinner so I am looking to try another kind of puppy kibble.
Does anyone feed their dog weatabix? My other half said he gave it to his previous labs, the breeder also does and my family members do for their cairns. They are age 70?
