Homer gets 3 3/4 jam jars of kibble, half for breakfast and half for dinner. Homer insists on his breakfast at 6am and dinner at 5pm. But as a child our dogs were only fed once a day in the evening, they were Airedales and the odd cross breed not food obsessed Labradors.
Hello All again.....our Vet called back last night re why Cooper wasn't eating his breakfast,etc. She said he does not want to eat breakfast so don't force it. That as a pack, dogs normally eat at night in a group after hunting and getting their prey! To try feeding him just at night. She also said he was overweight at 96.4 pounds and, instead of feeding him 3-1/2 cups a day to feed him 2 cups at night and cut out the treats and see if he loses weight. Since he is not interested in breakfast, it makes it easier for me to NOT give him his 2 cups in the morning. I just feel so bad for him though! Still, I do NOT want him to be overweight.Vet also said the two milk bones I give him in the morning and at night should be cut in half so he gets only one....that the calories in one milk bone equals his 2 cups of kibble. I was shocked! So will keep you all posted as to how Cooper and I make out with this new change in his diet. Wish me luck.
Is that Cooper in your side image? Do you have any of a full body view? My sisters dog is close to that weight and I wanted to compare the two. Those milk bones are pretty filling for dogs. I bought the medium sized ones for Dozer and only gave him half at a time but I was pretty strict on his eating habits because he had arthritis really bad and the last thing he needed was to gain weight. Cooper will get to a healthy weight and all will be good.
Yes, that is Cooper but a long time ago when his nose was still black!!! I will try to send a new photo of him......hope it works!!!
What a guy! Love that happy face. From that above image, he doesn't look over weight at all. Well regardless, he looks very happy and healthy.
Hi all, Riley our chocolate Labrador is 13 months old now and she weighs 27.5kg she looks good and feels good using the sheet or blanket test on her ribs. She is very active and will play in the park for as long as you will let her. One question though, she is still on kibble puppy food three meals a day. When do you recommend I should start feeding her adult dog food she gets fed three times a day now but what is best 3 meals a day 2 meals a day or all in 1 feed
My vet had Cooper .. now 2-1/2 years old....go onto adult before he was 12 months old....if I remember correctly it was around 8 months. He went from 3 to 2 meals a day and is still on 2 day. At one point a few weeks ago he would not eat breakfast so I wondered if he just wanted to go on one meal a day BUT vet suggested (1) to only give him 2 cups a day because he was getting "plump" (she said overweight!!) (2) to add some wet food to his dry and see if he ate his breakfast that way (which he looooooved). So now he gets 3/4 cup of dry and 1/4 cup of wet twice a day. I feel that so much food in ONE meal is too much for their tummies but that is my personal choice. Also feel that by 13 months Riley should be on adult/large breed food but I would check with your vet before you do, just to be sure.
The number of meals per day is really up to you/your lifestyle - there is nothing wrong with 3 meals a day. At around 8 months, Quinn naturally wasn't asking for her lunch anymore...it also coincided with a schedule change for us, where we would not be home a couple days a week at noon and her dog walker wouldn't arrive until a bit later in the day. Over the course of a week I added more to her breakfast and moved lunch time closer and closer to dinner. She is now fully on 2 meals a day and it is working well for everyone. She gets a kong in the morning with some of her daily kibble allowance in it, which helps spread things out for her. I would check your specific food and with your vet on when to switch to adult food.
The brand website normally tells you when you should move to adult food. Most are 9 to 12 months, but some go later than that. If you can't see an answer, then the food companies tend to be very responsive to email queries, or even have a live chat function on their website, so just ask. You don't have to move to two meals a day if you don't want. My dogs are two now, and still have three meals a day. It always makes me smile when people say their dogs stopped asking for lunch, because there is no way that would happen in this household! It suits me to give them three meals; it breaks up the day for all of us. But, go with what feels best for your situation in making he choice for yourself.
Homer would love three meals a day but he only gets two, breakfast at 6am and dinner 6:30 on weekdays. On weekends or school holidays he will often start asking for dinner from about 4pm, he can be ever so insistent! If I feed him early he wants another dinner later in the evening.
Cooper is just like Homer....no problem during the week with feeding at 6:30AM and 6:00PM but come the weekend, and if he is bored. he will want his dinner earlier and then look for either another dinner OR a Greenie OR treats later on! Guess just like us humans!! Ha,ha!
